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THE   POWER 


CHRISTIAN    BENEVOLENCE 


IIJ.USTKATED   IN   TUB 


LIFE     AND     LABORS 


MARY   LYON. 


COMPILED    BT 

EDWARD    HITCHCOCK,  D.  D.,  LL.  D., 

PKESIDENT  OF  AMHEllST   COLLEGE  ; 


WITH  THE  ASSISTANCE   OF   OTHERS. 

SEVENTH    EDITION. 

NORTHAMPTON: 
HOPKINS,    BRIDGMAN,    AND    COMPANY. 

PHILADELPHIA :   THOMAS,  COWPERTHWAIT,  &  CO. 

1852. 


^ 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1851,  by 

Hopkins,   Bridgman,  and  Company, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  District  of  Massachusetts 


STEREOTYPED   AT   THE 
BOSTON     STEREOTYPE     FOUNDRY. 


CAMBRIDGE: 

M  K  T  C  A  1.  F     A  N  U     C  O  M  P  A  n'y  , 


PREFACE. 


The  following  memoir  ought  earlier  to  have  been 
presented  to  the  public.  But  it  has  not  been  in  my 
power.  It  was  not  till  several  months  after  Miss 
Lyon's  decease  that  I  reluctantly  consented  to  take 
charge  of  its  compilation.  I  say  reluctantly,  not 
because  I  thought  it  an  unimportant  matter  to  bring 
out  the  private  history  of  such  a  woman,  but  because 
my  hands  were  already  too  full,  and  my  health  too 
poor.  The  result  was,  that  before  much  progress 
had  been  made  in  the  work,  I  sailed  for  Europe; 
not,  however,  until  I  had  requested  the  trustees  of 
the  seminary  to  put  the  work  into  other  hands.  But 
on  my  return  I  found  it  still  upon  me,  and  I  have 
urged  it  forward  as  rapidly  as  the  pressure  of  other 
duties  has  permitted. 

When  I  consented  to  undertake  this  work,  at  the 
request  of  the  trustees,  I  had  the  hope  and  the  pros- 
pect of  acting  merely  as  the  arranger  of  materials 
prepared  by  others.  Four  ladies  were  still  living 
who  had  been  associated  with  Miss  Lvon  in  all  the 


PREFACE. 


important  portions  of  her  life  —  personal  and  confi- 
dential friends,  indeed,  who  had  an  intimate  knowl- 
edge of  her  character.  They  were  Mrs.  Z.  P.  G. 
Banister,  (formerly  Miss  Grant,)  of  Newburyport, 
Miss  Hannah  White,  of  Ashfield,  Mrs.  Eunice 
Cowles,  (formerly  Miss  Caldwell,)  of  Ipswich,  and 
Mrs.  M.  C.  Eddy,  of  Fall  River,  (formerly  Miss  Whit- 
man,) a  teacher  for  many  years  in  the  Mount  Holyoke 
Female  Seminary,  and  Miss  Lyon's  successor  as 
principal.  These  all  consented  to  give  an  account  of 
those  portions  of  Miss  Lyon's  life  in  which  they  had 
been  most  intimately  associated  with  her;  except 
that  Mrs.  Banister,  on  account  of  her  state  of  health, 
could  not  engage  to  furnish  original  matter  for  that 
portion  assigned  to  her.  But  Miss  Whitman's  health 
so  entirely  failed  her,  that  she  was  compelled  to  aban- 
don her  part  of  the  work,  which  embraced  the  twelve 
years  of  the  new  seminary  before  Miss  Lyon's  death. 
The  final  result  of  this  plan  has  been,  that  Part  I. 
of  the  memoir,  which  I  denominate  "  The  Prepar- 
atory Discipline,"  embracing  the  first  thirty-seven 
years  of  Miss  Lyon's  life,  and  extending  to  the  time 
when  she  left  the  school  at  Ipswich,  in  October,  1834, 
has  been  prepared  by  the  joint  labors  of  Miss  White 
and  Mrs.  Banister.  Part  II.,  embracing  the  next 
three  years,  when  the  effort  was  made  to  found  and 
endow  the  new  seminary,  and  which  I  denominate 
"  The  Great  Struggle,"  has  been  prepared  by   Mrs. 


PREFACE. 


Cowles.  Part  III.,  entitled  "  The  Victory  gained 
and  secured,"  I  have  prepared  myself,  though  assisted 
by  the  materials  accumulated  by  Miss  Whitman 
which  she  put  into  my  hands.  As  compiler  of  the 
work,  I  do,  indeed,  feel  responsible  for  the  whole ; 
and  yet  I  have  found  it  necessary  to  make  but  few 
alterations  in  Parts  I.  and  IL,  and  those  chiefly 
omissions  of  epistolary  correspondence,  in  order  to 
keep  the  work  within  reasonable  limits. 

I  consider  it  peculiarly  fortunate  that  I  have  been 
able  to  bring  forward  this  memoir  as  the  work  of 
several  authors  rather  than  one.  By  such  a  method, 
indeed,  it  is  difficult  to  avoid  some  repetition ;  but  it 
has  the  advantage  of  presenting  Miss  Lyon's  char- 
acter as  it  appeared  to  several  of  those  well  acquaint- 
ed with  her,  and  the  average  of  the  whole  will  be 
more  apt  to  be  right  than  if  all  the  materials  had 
passed  through  only  one  crucible. 

The  materials  for  developing  Miss  Lyon's  char- 
acter have  been  found  more  abundant  than  we  sup- 
posed accessible.  Having  been  intimately  acquainted 
with  her  for  thirty  years,  I  had  imagined  that  I  was 
well  acquainted  with  her  character ;  but  the  docu- 
ments presented  in  the  following  pages  have  devel- 
oped new  traits,  and  given  me  a  more  exalted  opinion 
of  her  than  I  ever  before  entertained.  I  shall  be 
surprised  if  the  details  that  follow  do  not  exert  a 
salutary  influence  upon  the  cause  of  education  and 


VI  PREFACE. 

religion.  And  I  feel  that  much  responsibility  rests 
upon  me  in  attempting  to  present  the  outlines  of  a 
character  so  eminent  for  piety  and  usefulness.  I 
regret  that  my  part  of  the  work  has  been  necessarily 
done  in  too  much  haste,  and  under  the  pressure  of 
too  many  cares.  But  personally  I  feel  truly  thankful 
that  I  have  been  called  to  examine  and  scrutinize  a 
character  so  worthy  of  imitation.  If  I  am  not  made 
better  by  it,  the  fault  is  my  own.  Rarely,  if  ever,  has 
any  other  private  uninspired  history  made  me  feel  so 
much  the  defects  of  my  own  motives  and  actions,  or 
made  the  retrospect  of  life  appear  so  meagre  and 
unsatisfactory.  May  God's  blessing  accompany  the 
work,  so  that  many  others  may  feel  the  like  influ- 
ence,* and  see  the  power  of  Christian  benevolence 
illustrated  in  the  life  and  labors  of  Mary  Lyon. 

Amherst  College,  July  1,  1851. 


LIST  OF  ENGRAVINGS. 

FORTRAJT  or  MISS  LYON, Fbostispiece. 

BIRTHPLACE  OF  MISS   LYON,  Page  124 

VIEW  OF  THE  MT.  HOLYOKE  SEMINARY,        .               .  «      288 

VIEW  OF  MISS  LYON'S  MONUMENT, ««      4S29 


CONTENTS. 


PART    I. 

THE  PREPARATORY  DISCIPLINE. 
Section  I. 

FAQB 

PKOM    M188    LYON'S    BIRTH,    IN    1797,    TO    1821,    WHEN    SHE   WENT 

TO    BTFIELD,  . .  1 

Section  II. 

AT   ASHFIELD,    BUCKLAND,    AND    DERKY  ;     1821    TO    1828,      .  .  14 

Section  III. 

AT    BUCKLAND   AND    IPSWICH  ;     1828    TO    1834 66 


PART    II. 

THE   GREAT  STRUGGLE. 
Section  I. 

THE    BUCKLAND    SCHOOL,  ....  ...  126 

Section  II. 

THE    IPSWICH    SCHOOL, 132 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

Section  III. 

UNSUCCESSFUL   ATTEMPT   TO    ENDOW   THE   IPSWICH    SCHOOL,          .  157 

Section  IV. 

MISS    LYON's    plans   MOniPIEU   AND   MATUKED,  .  .  .  185 

Section  V. 

THE    TRUE    PRINCIPLES    OF   SUCCESS   DISCOVERED    AND    APPLIED,  200 

Section  VI. 

STRIKING  ADAPTATION  OF  THE  SCENES  THROUGH  WHICH  MISS 
LYON  PASSED  TO  FIT  HER  FOR  THE  GREAT  WORK  BEFORE 
HER, 248 


PART    III. 

THE  VICTORY   GAINED  AND   SECURED. 
Section  I. 

THE   FIRST   YEAR   OF   THE   NEW   SEMINARY,  ....  286 

Section  II. 

THE     HISTORY   OF    THE    SEMINARY   AND    OF    MISS    LYON    FROM    THE 
ANNIVERSARY,     IN     1838,     TO     HER     DEATH,     IN     1849  ;     ALSO 
'notices    OF    THE    SEMINARY   TO    1851,  ....  312 

Section  III. 

THE    retrospect,    THE    LAST   VISIT,    THE    LAST    INSTRUCTION,    AND 

THE   DEPARTURE, 405 

Section  IV. 

ESTIMATE    OF   MISS    LYON'S    CHARACTER   AND    LABORS,  .  .  43X 


PART    I. 

THE    PREPARATORY    DISCIPLINE. 


SECTION    I. 


From  Miss   LyorCs   Birth,  in   1797,   to    1821,  when  she 
went  to  Bjifield. 

Mary  Lyon  was  born  in  Buckland,  Franklin  county,  Mas- 
sachusetts, February  28,  1797.  Her  ancestors  were  among 
the  first  settlers  of  Ashfield,  a  town  adjoining  Buckland,  in 
the  same  county.  As  far  back  as  they  can  be  traced,  they 
lived,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  to  a  very  advanced  age, 
were  remarkable  for  the  discharge  of  filial  duties,  and  were 
of  irreproachable  character.     All  were  followers  of  Christ. 

Deacon  Isaac  Shepard,  her  maternal  grandfather,  was  an 
eminently  pious  man.  His  six  children  all  became  Chris- 
tians in  early  life,  and  were  blessings  to  society  around  them. 
His  father  and  his  son  bore  the  name  of  Isaac,  and  each 
held  the  office  of  deacon,  thus  making  three  deacons 
in  succession  of  the  same  name  in  the  family.  A  letter 
from  her  maternal  grandmother  is  preserved  among  Miss 
Lyon's  papers,  written  with  the  tremulous  hand  of  extreme 
old  age,  in  which  she  says  it  is  more  than  seventy  years 
since  she  "  'listed  a  soldier  for  Jesus."  She  was  the  daughter 
of  Chileab  Smith,  a  man  of  ardent  piety,  whose  prayers 
for  his  "  posterity  to  the  latest  generation  "  are  still  remem- 
bered by  those  who  heard  them. 
1 


2  THE    PREPAUATOPY    DISCIPLINE. 

There  being  no  Baptist  meeting  in  the  vicinity,  and  Mr. 
Smith  having  a  preference  for  that  denomination,  he  opened 
his  house  for  public  worship,  and  was  instrumental  in  organ- 
izing a  small  church  from  the  borders  of  three  adjoining 
townships,  Conway,  Ashfield,  and  Buckland.  Of  this 
church  Mr.  Smith  was  the  first  leader  and  instructor.  Two 
of  his  sons  became  preachers  in  the  Baptist  denomination. 
One  of  them  succeeded  his  father  in  the  care  of  this  little 
church ;  a  good  man,  who  long  and  steadfastly  resisted  the 
current  of  error  and  immorality  which  at  times  threatened 
to  overwhelm  that  community.  This  church  still  exists,  a 
blessing  to  the  neighborhood. 

Aaron  Lyon  and  Jemima  Shepard,  the  parents  of  Mary, 
were  both  members  of  this  church.  Their  residence  was  in 
Buckland,  within  half  a  mile  of  the  Ashfield  line,  and  about 
one  mile  and  a  half  from  the  parents  of  each,  and  from  the 
place  of  worship.  They  therefore  continued  to  worship 
with  their  fathers.  These  and  other  circumstances  led  Mary 
often  to  say,  playfully,  that  she  belonged  to  both  towns. 

Her  father  was  remarkable  for  the  uniformity  of  his  tem- 
per. He  was  never  known  to  speak  an  angry  word.  Kind 
and  obliging  in  his  manners,  he  was  greatly  beloved  by  his 
acquaintance,  and  often  was  sent  for  to  pray  with  the  sick 
and  dying.  Her  mother  was  a  person  of  strong  mind  and 
active  piety.  Her  praise  is  in  the  churches,  and  it  is  enough 
to  say  of  her  here,  that  Mary  was  emphatically  in  her 
mother's  own  image.  These  parents  were  united  in  honor- 
ing the  institution  of  the  Sabbath,  and  in  training  their  chil- 
dren to  make  preparation  for  entering  on  holy  time  at  an 
early  hour  Saturday  evening. 

Under  such  influences,  "  the  germ  of  Mary's  character 
received  the  culture  that  decided  its  future  form  and  growth." 
It  is  not  known  how  many  of  her  excellences  or  principles  of 
action  are  to  be  attributed  to  early  and  judicious  parental  train- 
ing ;  for  often  "  the  descending  stream  of  influence  owes  its 


THE    MOTJNTAIN   HOME    DESCRIBED.  3 

salubrity  to  the  salt  some  pious  hand  cast  into  it  at  a  point 
so  high  that  it  has  ceased  to  be  acknowledged  or  known." 

Mary  was  the  fifth  of  seven  children,  only  one  of  whom, 
the  son,  still  lives.  Her  parents,  though  in  comfortable  cir- 
cumstances, were  not  among  the  rich  of  this  world.  With 
industry  and  economy,  they  were  enabled  to  meet  all  the 
necessary  wants  of  their  rising  family.  A  small  farm,  that 
yields  a  competence  to  such  a  family  when  tilled  by  a 
judicious  father,  and  its  avails  managed  by  a  frugal  mother, 
will,  when  divided,  give  but  a  small  portion  to  each  of  the 
children.  On  the  death  of  their  father,  in  1802,  at  the  age 
of  forty-five,  they  were  left  to  depend  mostly  on  their  own 
exertions. 

But  this  loved  and  rock-bound  farm  was  for  a  while  kept 
together  by  the  superintendence  and  frugality  of  the  mother  ; 
the  only  son  being  then  but  thirteen  years  of  age. 

Let  us  learn  their  situation  from  Mary's  own  words  in  the 
"  Missionary  Ofliering,"  a  small  book  written  by  her  in  1843. 
After  speaking  of  a  want  of  correspondence  between 
the  dress  and  contributions  of  a  widow  aftd  her  daughter, 
who  were  supported  by  the  widow's  needle,  she  says,  "  I 
was  strongly  reminded  by  contrast  of  another  widow,  whom 
I  knew  and  loved  forty  years  ago,  and  of  her  '  mountain 
home.'  She  was  not  rich  in  the  treasures  of  earth.  Her 
little  farm  was  surely  not  more  to  her,  in  providing  for  her 
seven,  than  was  that  skilful  needle  in  providing  for  the  one. 
But  want,  at  that  '  mountain  home,'  was  made  to  walk  so 
fairly  and  so  gracefully  within  that  circle  of  limited  means, 
tUat  there  was  always  room  enough  and  to  spare  for  a  more 
restricted  neighbor.  I  can  now  see  that  loved  widow,  just 
as  I  did  in  the  days  of  my  childhood.  She  is  less  than  forty 
years  of  age,  and  her  complexion  is  as  fair  and  her  fore- 
head as  noble  and  as  lofty  as  on  her  bridal  day.  Now  she 
is  in  that  sweet  garden  which  needs  only  to  be  seen  to  be 
loved.     Now  she  is  surveying  the  work  of  the  hired  man 


4  THE   PREPARATORY   DISCIPLINE. 

and  her  young  son  on  that  wild,  romantic  farm  ;  made,  one 
would  think,  more  to  feast  the  soul  than  to  feed  the  body. 
But  almost  always  she  was  to  be  found  busy,  both  early  and 
late,  amid  her  household  cares,  and  in  the  culture  of  the  olive 
plants  around  her  table.  In  that  domain,  nothing  was  left 
to  take  its  own  way.  Every  thing  was  made  to  yield  to  her 
faithful  and  diligent  hand.  It  was  no  mistake  of  that  good- 
hearted  neighbor,  who  came  in  one  day,  begging  the  privi- 
lege of  setting  a  plant  of  rare  virtue  in  a  corner  of  her 
garden,  because,  as  he  said,  there  it  could  never  die.  The 
roses,  the  pinks,  and  the  peonies,  those  old-fashioned  flowers, 
which  keep  time  with  Old  Hundred,  could  nowhere  grow  so 
fresh  and  so  sweet  as  in  that  little  garden.  Nowhere  else 
have  I  ever  seen  wild  strawberries  in  such  profusion  and 
richness  as  were  gathered  near  by.  Never  were  rareripes 
so  large  and  so  yellow,  and  never  were  peaches  so  delicious 
and  so  fair,  as  grew  on  the  trees  of  that  favored  farm.  The 
apples,  too,  contrived  to  ripen  before  all  others,  so  as  to  meet 
in  sweet  fellowship  with  peaches  and  plums,  to  entertain  the 
aunts  and  cousins. 

"  I  can  now  see  that '  mountain  home,'  with  its  sweet  rivu- 
let, finding  its  way  among  rocks,  and  cliffs,  and  hillocks,  and 
deep,  craggy  dells.  Then  just  beyond  the  precincts  of  the 
family  domain  was  the  '  top  of  the  hill,'  crowned  by  its 
high,  rolling  rock,  ever  inviting  the  enterprise  of  each  as- 
piring heart.  Every  one  was  amply  repaid  who  would 
climb  that  steep  hill,  and  ascend  that  high  rock.  There 
might  be  seen  the  far-off  mountains,  in  all  their  grandeur, 
and  the  deep  valleys  and  widely-extended  plains,  and,  move 
than  all,  that  village  below,  containing  only  a  very  few  white 
houses,  but  more  than  some  young  eyes  had  previously  seen. 
But,  sweetest  of  all,  the  length  of  a  mile  or  more,  to  the  vil- 
lage church,  was  that  wild,  winding  way,  traversed  each 
Sabbath  morning  by  that  orderly  group,  while  the  family 
pony  gave  the  mother  her  horseback  ride.     There,  too,  in 


THE    DEATH    OF    HER    PATHER.  5 

winter,  was  that  sleigh,  packed  so  snugly  and  gliding  so 
gently  over  that  same  winding  way  to  that  same  small 
church. 

"  At  that  '  mountain  home '  every  want  was  promptly  and 
abundantly  met  by  the  bounties  of  summer  and  the  provi- 
dent care  for  winter.  The  autumnal  stores,  so  nicely  sorted 
and  arranged,  always  travelled  hand  in  hand  through  the 
long  winter,  like  the  barrel  of  meal  and  cruse  of  oil.  The 
apples  came  out  fresh  in  the  spring,  and  the  maple  sugar, 
that  most  important  grocery  of  the  neighborhood,  was  never 
known  to  fail  before  the  warm  sun,  on  the  sparkling  snow, 
gave  delightful  indication  that  sugar  days  were  near.  When 
gathered  around  that  simple  table,  no  one  desired  a  richer 
supply  than  was  furnished  by  the  hand  of  that  dear  mother. 
The  simple  school-day  dress,  too,  so  neat  and  so  clean,  and 
amply  sufficient  in  the  view  of  those  young  minds,  should  not 
be  forgotten ;  while  the  rare  gift  of  the  Sunday  suit,  kept  ex- 
pressly for  the  occasion,  formed  an  important  era  in  the  life  of 
the  possessor,  and  was  remembered  with  grateful  smiles  for 
many  days  afterwards.  The  children  of  that  household,  thus 
abundantly  supplied,  never  thought  of  being  dependent  or 
depressed.  They  felt  that  their  father  had  laid  up  for  them 
a  rich  store  in  grateful  hearts,  and  among  the  treasures 
which  will  never  decay  ;  and  that  their  mother,  who  was 
considered  in  all  that  neighborhood  a  sort  of  presiding  angel 
of  good  works,  was  continually  adding  to  those  stores.  I 
can  now  remember  just  the  appearance  of  that  neighbor  who 
had  a  numerous  household  to  clothe,  as  she  said,  one  day, 
'  How  is  it  that  the  widow  can  do  more  for  me  than  any 
one  else  ?  ' 

"  But  I  remember  the  sorrows,  as  well  as  the  joys  and  the 
labors,  of  that  loved  widow,  that  dearest  friend  of  my 
young  heart.  On  the  21st  of  last  December,  about  noon, 
the  days  of  forty  long  years  were  just  numbered  and  finished 
since  death  came  to  that  '  mountain  home,'  and  took  away 
1* 


6  THE    PREPARATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

that  affectionate  husband,  that  kindest  of  fathers.  The 
dying  scene,  in  that  retired  '  north  roon),'  I  can  never  forget. 
How  mournful  was  the  contrast  between  the  clear  midday- 
sun  and  those  sorrowing  hearts,  those  bursting  sighs,  and 
those  flowing  tears !  Those  last  faltering  words, '  My  dear 
children,  —  what  shall  I  say  to  you,  my  children  .?  —  God 
bless  you,  my  children,'  have  not  yet  died  away  on  my 
ear.  Then  came  the  funeral,  which  gathered  all  the  neigh- 
borhood around  that  mourning  circle.  Gently  was  it  whis- 
pered by  one  and  another,  '  We  have  all  lost  a  friend  ;  the 
peacemaker  is  gone.'  How  deep  were  those  weeds  o" 
mourning,  shrouding  that  family  !  Even  the  plaintive  tones 
of  the  little  one,  but  just  able  to  lisp  her  father's  name,  w^ere 
oft  and  long  repeated  by  kind-hearted  neighbors.  Then 
came  that  first  cold  winter  of  widowhood.  How  mournfully 
did  the  cheerful  fire  blaze  on  the  domestic  hearth,  as  we 
gathered  around  that  bereaved  family  altar !  What  child  of 
that  household  could  ever  forget  those  extraordinary  prayers 
of  the  sorrowing  mother  for  the  salvation  of  her  fatherless 
children,  as  they  were  offered  up,  day  by  day,  through  all 
the  long,  cold  winter  ?  Before  that  mourning  day  came, 
the  eldest,  while  yet  a  child,  professed  to  love  the  God  of 
her  fathers.  As  the  remaining  six  were  gathered  in,  one  by 
one,  and  all  before  they  had  passed  the  years  of  their  youth, 
the  mother  failed  not  to  refer  to  her  own  agonizing  prayers, 
during  that  first  winter  of  her  widowhood.  But  the  mother 
is  gone,  and  most  of  the  seven  are  gone.  Together  they 
are  gathered  to  their  peaceful  rest.  Only  a  remnant 
is  left  to  talk  of  that  sweet  '  mountain  home,'  of  that 
bereaving  December,  and  of  those  never-to-be-forgotten 
prayers."  * 

*  A  Sketch  of  the  "  Mouutain  Home,"  from  the  pencil  of  Miss 
Hannah  "\Miitc,  will  be  found  at  the  end  of  the  first  part  of  this 
memoir  — E.  H. 


EAHLY    DEVELOPMENTS    OF    MIND.  7 

Previous  to  the  time  here  described,  little  is  known  of 
Mary.  We  learn  from  her  friends  and  acquaintance  that 
she  early  exhibited  marks  of  a  reflecting  mind.  They  relate 
little  events  of  her  childhood,  which,  though  not  uncommon 
at  her  age,  show  her  inclination  to  philosophize  on  subjects 
as  they  passed  before  her.  For  instance,  when  she  was 
quite  a  child,  a  cousin,  who  was  visiting  at  her  father's,  rec- 
ollects that  she  left  the  task  her  mother  had  given  her  to 
perform,  and  climbed  up  by  a  chair  to  the  hour-glass.  Her 
mother,  coming  in  at  the  time,  inquired  what  she  was  doing. 
She  replied,  that  she  had  been  studying  upon  it,  and  be- 
lieved she  had  thought  of  a  way  by  which  she  could  make 
more  time. 

From  all  the  sources  left  us,  it  appears  that  from  child- 
hood to  womanhood  she  was  remarkable  for  a  solidity  of 
mind  and  sobriety  of  deportment  rarely  found  in  the  volatile 
season  of  youth.  With  teachableness,  energy,  frankness, 
and  warmth  of  heart,  were  combined  elasticity  of  spirits  and 
an  ardent  desire  to  do  something  to  augment  the  happiness 
of  her  friends.  To  this  were  added  a  keen  perception  of  the 
ludicrous,  and  a  power  of  humorous  description,  which  ren- 
dered her  a  very  enlivening  companion. 

In  early  life,  her  opportunities  for  education  were  limited  ; 
but  being  one  of  the  youngest  of  a  family  which  is  known  to 
have  excelled  in  intelligence  and  scholarship,  she  undoubt- 
edly received  much  instruction  at  home.  Until  she  was  six 
or  seven  years  of  age,  there  was  a  district  school  within  a 
mile  of  her  mother's  residence.  From  the  time  that  she  was 
old  enough  to  walk  that  distance,  she  attended  it  regularly 
when  it  was  in  operation.  It  was  then  removed  two  miles 
from  them,  and  she  attended  but  occasionally.  Sometimes 
she  lived  with  her  relatives  in  Ashfield,  sometimes  near  a 
school  in  Buckland,  assisting  the  families  into  which  she  was 
received,  as  a  remuneration  for  her  board. 

She    was   early   noticed  for  her   uncommon  progress  in 


8  THE    PREPARATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

study.  One  of  her  teachers  said,  "  I  should  like  to  see  what 
she  would  make  if  she  could  be  sent  to  college." 

She  had  some  peculiarities  as  a  scholar  which  should  be 
noticed.  She  committed  to  memory  with  unusual  facility, 
^nd  recited  with  verbal  accuracy ;  yet  she  did  not  fail  to  get 
a  clear  understanding  of  the  meaning  of  her  lessons.  The 
teacher  is  now  living  with  whom  she  studied  Alexander's 
Grammar  ;  and  he  says  that,  in  four  days,  she  learned  all  that 
scholars  were  accustomed  to  commit,  and  repeated  it  with  cor- 
rectness at  one  recitation.  Her  progress  in  arithmetic  was 
equally  rapid,  and  she  understood  clearly  and  at  once  the 
reasons  for  every  operation.  But  instead  of  depending  on 
genius,  as  minds  less  gifted  are  prone  to  do,  she  believed  that 
her  school  lessons  were  to  be  mastered  only  by  hard  study, 
and  applied  herself  to  them  with  great  assiduity  and  perse- 
verance. She  could  not  express  her  thoughts  in  so  few 
words  as  many  do,  who  have  fewer  thoughts  to  express  ;  and 
her  enunciation  was  so  rapid  as  sometimes  to  be  painful  to 
the  listener.  She  is  remembered,  even  when  quite  young,  to 
have  been  particularly  attentive  to  religious  instruction.  As 
has  been  intimated,  she  was  accustomed  to  worship  with  her 
father  in  the  old  Baptist  meeting-house  in  Ashfield.  There 
were  then  no  Sabbath  schools ;  and  when  the  weather  would 
permit,  it  was  customary,  during  the  interval  of  public  wor- 
ship, for  the  congregation  to  resort  to  the  cool  grove,  or  the 
burying-place  of  the  dead.  As  a  necessary  consequence, 
especially  where  young  people  are  thus  grouped  together, 
levity,  and  conversation  unsuited  to  the  Sabbath,  would  pre- 
vail. Mary  is  remembered  as  withdrawing  herself  from 
those  circles,  and  expressing  surprise  to  her  associates  that 
any  one  could  indulge  in  such  things  on  God's  holy  day. 

The  old  beech-tree  is  still  remembered,  which  stood  behind 
a  school-house  in  Ashfield,  on  whose  crooked  trunk,  in  a 
season  of  religious  interest,  she  used  to  sit  during  the  school 
intermissions,  and  tell  those  who  gathered  around  her  of  the 


EARLY   ATTACHMENTS.  9 

way  of  salvation,  as  she  had  been  taught  it  by  her  parents, 
though  she  had  not  then  herself  begun  to  tread  in  it. 

It  is  not  known  that  she  has  left  any  record  of  her  mental 
conflict  while  under  religious  conviction.  Some  of  her  early 
friends  know  that  the  first  exercises  of  her  mind,  which  she 
was  led  afterwards  to  look  upon  as  indicative  of  a  saving 
change,  were  in  1816,  under  the  plain,  simple  explanations 
of  Bible  truth  from  Elder  Enos  Smith,  the  brother  of  her 
grandmother,  to  whom  reference  has  already  been  made. 
The  day  which  she  afterwards  regarded  as  probably  the  one 
on  which  her  heart  was  renewed  by  the  Holy  Spirit  was  the 
Sabbath.  The  sermon  to  which  she  had  been  listening  was 
on  the  character  of  God  ;  and  as  she  walked  through  the 
fields  on  her  return  home,  reflecting  on  his  glorious  attributes, 
her  mind  was  filled  with  a  sweet  sense  of  his  love,  and  her 
affections  seemed,  for  the  first  time,  to  flow  out  towards  that 
Being  whom  she  had  reverenced,  and  whose  character  she 
had  approved  from  her  earliest  recollection.  But,  as  will 
hereafter  be  seen,  her  feelings  were  not  then  so  marked 
in  their  character  as  to  lead  her  to  speak  of  them  to  others, 
or  to  give  her  much  confidence  that  she  was  accepted 
of  God. 

But  let  us  return  to  the  inmates  of  "  the  mountain  home." 
The  three  sisters  older  than  herself,  at  a  suitable  age,  entered 
into  the  married  state.  One  was  settled  in  Ashfield,  one  in 
Buckland,  and  the  oldest  resided,  first  at  New  Marlborough, 
Massachusetts,  then  a  few  years  in  Ohio,  and  finally  in 
Chatauque  county,  New  York.  In  1810,  her  mother  mar- 
ried again,  and  removed  to  Ashfield,  taking  with  her  the  two 
younger  sisters.  Mary,  with  her  only  brother,  remained  at 
the  homestead.  For  a  year  previous  to  the  marriage  of  this 
brother,  in  1812,  being  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  she  took 
the  charge  of  housekeeping,  and  rendered  herself  so  useful, 
that  he  paid  her  one  dollar  a  week  for  her  services,  to  aid 
her  in  the  prosecution  of  her  studies.     From  this  time  until 


10  THE    PREPARATORY     DISCIPLINE. 

1819,  when  he  removed  to  the  State  of  New  York,  her- home 
continued  to  be  in  his  family. 

The  removal  of  her  brother,  to  whom  she  was  tenderly 
attached,  was  a  great  trial  to  her.  She  felt  that,  for  the 
second  time,  she  was  made  an  orphan.  Not  only  must  she 
leave  the  spot  that  gave  her  birth,  but  she  must  also  be  sepa- 
rated from  the  family  so  dear  to  her  heart.  Yet,  while  dis- 
tressed at  the  separation,  with  characteristic  composure  she 
handed  these  lines,  from  an  old  familiar  song,  to  her 
brother's  wife :  — 

•'  Not  one  sigh  shall  tell  my  story, 

Not  one  tear  my  cheek  shall  stain  ; 
Silent  grief  shall  be  my  glory, 
Grief  that  stoops  not  to  complain." 

But  those  dear  children,  whose  "  little  hands  cling  closest 
to  the  heart,"  how  did  she  grieve  for  them  !  Her  friends 
that  remained  with  her  well  remember  her  grief  as  they 
were  borne  away.  For  months  afterwards,  whenever  that 
brother  was  spoken  of  in  her  presence,  her  tears  would  flow, 
and  her  silent  and  subdued  feelings  did  not  hinder  her  friends 
from  seeing  how  deeply  and  tenderly  she  loved  him.  Little 
did  she  then  imagine  that,  in  process  of  time,  those  daughters 
were  to  return,  to  receive  instruction  from  her  lips  in  a  sem- 
inary founded  by  her  instrumentality  ;  and,  being  better  fitted 
to  perform  the  duties  of  life,  were  to  go  forth,  some  to  labor 
as  teachers  in  our  own  country,  and  one  to  teach  the  be- 
nighted heathen  under  the  shadow  of  a  Chinese  pagoda. 

We  now  return  from  this  digression. 

From  her  brother's  marriage  until  1817,  little  is  known 
of  her,  except  that  she  occasionally  attended  school,  and 
commenced  her  career  as  teacher  near  Shelburne  Falls, 
Massachusetts,  receiving  as  compensation,  at  first,  seventy- 
five  cents  per  week  with  board. 

It  was  in  the  autumn  of  1817  that  she  first  entered  San- 


PREPARATION  FOR  TEACHING.  11 

derson  Academy,  at  Ashfield,  between  four  and  five  miles 
from  her  birthplace.  She  was  then  emphatically  nature's 
child.  Those  who  knew  her  only  at  Ipswich  or  South  Had- 
ley,  can  realize  but  little  of  the  Mary  Lyon  of  those  days. 
One  remarked  of  her  then,  "  She  is  all  intellect ;  she  does 
not  know  that  she  has  a  body  to  care  for."  But  a  warm  and 
true  heart  soon  gained  the  love  and  confidence  of  her  asso- 
ciates. Her  whole  appearance  at  that  time  was  so  unique, 
her  progress  in  study  so  unprecedented,  her  broad,  intelligent 
face  so  inviting,  that  no  one  who  was  a  member  of  the 
academy  at  that  time  will  ever  forget  her ;  nor  how  the 
scholars  used  to  lay  aside  their  books  when  she  commenced 
her  recitation.  Here  she  found  friends  to  encourage  and 
assist  her  in  her  search  for  knowledge.  In  the  rough  speci- 
men, they  could  see  a  diamond  of  uncommon  brilliancy, 
and  knew  that  it  needed  only  to  be  polished  to  shine  with 
peculiar  lustre. 

The  slender  means  which  she  had  collected  by  services  to 
her  brother,  by  spinning,  weaving,  teaching,  &c.,  were  soon 
expended.  She  was  about  to  return  to  her  old  employ- 
ments, when  the  trustees  of  the  academy  gave  her  the  free 
use  of  all  its  advantages.  It  is  supposed  that  this  was  the 
time  when  she  resolved  to  prepare  herself  particularly  for 
teaching.  She  collected  her  bedding,  table  linen,  &c.,  con- 
stituting the  full  amount  of  her  household  treasures,  and 
exchanged  the  whole  at  a  boarding-house  for  a  room  and  a 
seat  at  the  table.  Nothing  could  exceed  the  eagerness  with 
which  she  engaged  in  the  prosecution  of  her  studies.  It  was 
judged  by  the  family  where  she  boarded,  that  she  slept,  on 
an  average,  not  more  than  four  hours  in  the  twenty-four ; 
and  all  her  waking  moments,  except  the  time  occupied  by 
her  hurried  meals,  were  spent  in  study.  The  academy  in 
Ashfield,  although  it  may,  at  times,  have  enjoyed  more  pros- 
perity, yet  never  has  had  collected  within  its  walls,  at 
any  other  time,  minds  more-  fitted  to  bless  the  world    by 


12  THE    PREPARATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

their  influence.  But  distinguished  as  some  of  them  have 
been  for  talents  and  acquirements,  no  one  was  able  to  keep 
up  with  Mary  in  her  recitations ;  and  one  additional  study 
after  another  was  given  her  by  her  teacher,  partly  as  a  clog, 
to  keep  her  within  reciting  distance  of  her  classes.  But  all 
proved  insufficient  for  the  purpose.  The  more  her  powers 
were  taxed,  the  more  she  seemed  capable  of  performing. 
At  last  her  teacher  gave  her  Adam's  Latin  Grammar,  di- 
recting her  to  omit  her  extra  lessons  while  committing  it  to 
memory,  only  keeping  up  with  her  regular  classes  in  their 
studies.  This,  he  supposed,  would  employ  her  for  some  time. 
But  within  three  days  she  had  committed  and  recited  all  those 
portions  which  students  then  commonly  learned  when  first 
going  over  the  work.  Her  teacher*  preceded  her  to  the 
spirit  world ;  but  he  was  frequently  heard  to  say,  that  he 
never  knew  the  Latin  Grammar  more  accurately  recited ; 
and  there  are  many  now  living  who  heard  the  recitations, 
and  can  bear  the  same  testimony. 

Her  services  as  a  teacher  soon  began  to  be  eagerly  sought, 
and  wherever  she  could  find  an  opportunity  to  improve  her- 
self and  others,  she  would  take  a  class  of  pupils.  When  she 
had  thus  obtained  sufficient  means  to  justify  it,  she  would  go 
to  some  place  and  receive  instruction  on  particular  subjects, 
in  which  she  found  herself  deficient.  No  one  was  more 
ready  to  set  about  and  accomplish  an  improvement  in  any 
respect,  when  convinced  it  was  necessary. 

At  one  time,  she  might  be  found  in  a  family  school  in 
Buckland,  teaching  all  the  variety  of  studies  necessary  or 
desirable  for  an  intelligent  group  of  sons  and  daughters.  At 
another  time,  she  resided  for  a  season  in  the  family  of  Rev. 
Edward  Hitchcock,  then  pastor  of  a  church  in  Conway,  (now 
Dr.  Hitchcock,  President  of  Amherst  College,)  learning  from 
him  the  principles  of  natural  science,  and  from  his  wife  the 

*  E.  H.  Burritt,  author  of  the  "  Geography  of  the  Heavens." 


FIRST    EFFORTS    AS    A    TEACHER.  13 

arts  of  drawing  and  painting.  In  that  place  also  she  taught 
a  select  school  with  much  ability  and  success.  Then  we 
find  her  for  one  term  in  Amherst  Academy,  when,  for  the 
first  time,  she  encroached  on  the  small  patrimony  left  her 
by  her  father. 

At  this  period  of  her  history,  a  love  for  spiritual  things  did 
not  prominently  appear,  and  she  studiously  avoided  any  allu- 
sion to  her  own  exercises  of  mind. 

About  two  years  after  first  entering  the  academy  at  Ash- 
field,  being  desirous  of  improving  her  handwriting,  she 
placed  herself  under  the  instruction  of  one  whose  name  has 
long  been  associated  with  education  in  that  vicinity,  and 
who  was  known  to  excel  in  the  art  of  penmanship.  From 
him  we  have  the  following  testimony  as  to  her  character  and 
appearance  at  that  time  :  — 

"  About  the  year  1819, 1  was  engaged  as  usual  in  instruct- 
ing a  district  winter  school.  After  I  had  taught  a  few  weeks, 
as  I  went  one  morning  into  the  school-room,  I  saw  there  a 
stranger  seated  with  my  first  class.  They  immediately  in- 
troduced her,  stating  that  she  wished  to  attend  a  while,  and 
devote  her  time  especially  to  penmanship.  With  that  unas- 
suming manner  which  ever  characterized  her,  she  took  her 
place  among  the  common  scholars,  until,  by  their  request, 
she  was  furnished  with  a  chair  and  a  place  at  the  table,  there 
being  no  desk  in  the  house.  Here  she  patiently  sat  from 
day  to  day,  affording  assistance  in  instructing  the  younger 
classes  as  she  found  she  was  needed,  until  she  had  acquired 
the  elementary  principles  of  the  art.  After  beginning  to 
combine  those  principles,  she  handed  me  her  book  for  a  cap- 
tion or  subject,  which  I  was  accustomed  to  furnish  for  my 
first  class.  I  wrote  hers  in  Latin.  She  returned  her  book, 
requesting  that  she  might  have  it  in  English,  remarking  that 
she  feared  those  who  might  review  her  book  would  think 
her  to  be  wiser  than  she  was.  I  mention  this  circumstance 
merely  to  show  that  it  was  a  prominent  trait  in  her  character 
2 


14  THE  PREPARATORY  DISCIPLINE. 

never  to  appear  better  than  she  was.  She  was  naturally  un- 
ostentatious, willing  to  be  taught,  thankful  for  favors  in  any 
form,  especially  those  which  related  to  the  mind. 

"  While  a  member  of  my  school,  she  always  appeared 
delighted  with  its  religious  exercises,  both  at  commencement 
and  close,  never  seeming  weary  of  any  thing  which  related 
to  the  welfare  of  the  soul ;  and  I  doubt  not  she  is  still  Mary 
Lyon  now  that  she  is  in  heaven,  bowing  with  the  redeemed, 
and  engaged  in  the  exalted  worship  of  sainted  spirits  in  the 
world  of  glory." 


SECTION    II. 
■At  Ashfield,  Buckland,  and  Derry,  1821  to  1828. 

We  have  now  traced  Miss  Lyon's  course  until  1821,  when, 
with  the  avails  of  her  labor  and  the  remnant  of  her  patri- 
mony, she  went  to  attend  the  Rev.  Joseph  Emerson's  school, 
in  Byfield,  Massachusetts. 

Extracts  from  a  letter  written  since  the  death  of  Miss  Lyon 
by  the  friend*  who  influenced  her  to  avail  herself  of  Mr. 
Emerson's  instructions  will  show  some  of  her  traits  of 
character  at  this  period. 

"  Your  request  to  furnish  some  particulars  of  dear  Mary, 
at  that  time,  is  one  with  which  I  would  gladly  comply ;  but 
the  scenes  through  which  I  have  since  passed  are  so  many 
and  so  varied,  that  much  which  might  be  of  interest  has 
escaped  my  memory.  My  first  acquaintance  with  her  was 
at  the  time  when  she  became  a  pupil  in  the  academy  at 
Ashfield.  On  returning  from  a  religious  lecture,  we  fell  in 
company  with  each  other,  and  we  needed  no  formal  intro- 

•  That  friend  was  Amanda  White,  afterwards  wife  of  Rev.  Mr. 
Ferry,  missionary  at  Mackinaw,  on  Lake  Superior. 


MISS   LYON   AT   BYFIELD.  15 

duction.  Her  frank,  open  countenance  invited  confidence, 
and  a  mutual  interest  was  at  once  awakened.  Our  walk  was 
a  long  one,  and  we  conversed  freely  on  various  subjects. 
Learning  that  I  was  expecting  to  enter  the  school  also,  slie 
expressed  a  wish  that  we  might  occupy  the  same  desk. 
With  this  I  readily  complied ;  and  I  pursued  the  same 
branches  of  study  that  she  did,  so  far  as  I  could  keep  up 
with  her.  She  was  ever  ready  to  lay  aside  her  books,  and 
lend  a  helping  hand  to  those  of  weaker  intellect.  Though 
nearly  thirty  years  have  elapsed  since  then,  I  seem  even 
now  to  see  her  cheerful,  laughing  face  turned  upon  me,  as  I 
presented  some  Gordian  knot  in  my  studies  for  her  to  un- 
ravel. You  know  we  occupied  the  same  room  at  Byfield, 
and  you  are  also  aware  that  at  that  time  she  had  many  un- 
desirable habits  of  person  and  manners.  I  felt,  from  my  first 
acquaintance  with  her,  that  she  was  made  for  some  impor- 
tant station ;  and  that,  unless  various  little  things  were  cor- 
rected, they  would  greatly  detract  from  her  usefulness. 
Though  conscious  of  my  inferiority,  I  ever  felt  it  my  duty, 
while  with  her,  to  be  faithful  in.  helping  her  to  see,  feel,  and 
correct  these  defects.  But,  O,  my  very  heart  aches  now,  as 
I  review  these  tasks  of  friendship.  Not  that  I  have  any  rea- 
son to  suppose  she  was  unwilling  to  be  improved.  Far  oth- 
erwise. Almost  invariably,  when  I  commenced  speaking  to 
her,  she  would  come  directly  to  me,  and  place  a  hand  upon 
each  shoulder,  while  her  bright,  beaming  eyes  and  sunny 
face  spoke  the  gratitude  of  her  heart.  '  O,'  she  would  ex- 
claim, '  was  there  ever  a  poor,  erring  mortal  that  had  such 
kind  friends  ! ' 

"  I  made  it  a  point  to  attend  to  the  nameless  little  duties 
necessary  to  our  comfort  in  the  room,  leaving  to  her  share 
such  as  she  could  not  well  overlook  or  omit.  You  know  she 
then  needed  constant  watchfulness  as  to  her  personal  appear- 
ance, the  care  of  her  clothing,  &c.  Indeed,  she  did  not 
devote  sufficient  thought  and  attention  to  the  subject  to  know 


16  THE    PREPARATORY   DISCIPLINE. 

when  she  was  suitably  dressed  to  appear  in  company.  Of 
course,  she  never  went  out  without  my  inspection,  to  see  that 
all  was  right ;  as  she  was  very  liable  to  leave  off  some  arti- 
cle, or  put  one  on  the  wrong  side  out.  She  was  also  one  of 
the  unfortunate  ones  whose  wearing  apparel  seems  doomed 
to  receive  the  contents  of  every  overturned  inkstand  or  lamp  ; 
but  she  met  every  such  accident  with  the  same  good  humor 
and  pleasantry  that  she  manifested  on  every  occasion." 

At  Byfield,  her  intellectual  capacity  was  appreciated  by 
the  discerning.  In  speaking  of  her,  years  afterwards,  Mr. 
Emerson  remarked  to  Miss  Grant,  that  he  had  instructed 
several  ladies,  whose  minds  were  better  disciplined  than  Miss 
Lyon's ;  but  in  mental  power,  he  considered  her  superior  to 
any  other  pupil  he  had  ever  had  in  his  seminary.  That  she 
there  exercised  great  application  is  shown  by  one  of  the  let- 
ters of  her  room-mate,  written  at  that  period,  wherein  she 
says,  "  Mary  sends  love  to  all ;  but  time  with  her  is  too 
precious  to  spend  it  in  writing  letters.  She  is  gaining  knowl- 
edge by  handfuls." 

From  this  friend  we  have#also  some  account  of  the  im- 
provement in  her  religious  character  while  at  Byfield. 

"  Within  two  or  three  days  after  our  term  commenced, 
Mr.  Emerson,  having  prepared  the  way  by  appropriate  re- 
marks, requested  such  of  his  pupils  as  were  professors  of 
religion,  or  hoped  they  had  been  renewed  by  divine  grace, 
to  remain  in  the  seminary  hall  during  the  time  of  recess,  that 
he  might  see  them  a  few  minutes  by  themselves.  He  then 
endeavored  to  show  them  their  responsibility,  as  the  repre- 
sentatives of  Christ  in  that  school  ;  the  importance  of  their 
growing  in  grace  while  there  ;  and  the  propriety  of  their 
exerting  an  influence  in  favor  of  the  Redeemer  and  his  cause 
upon  their  fellow-pupils.  He  then  appointed  a  weekly 
prayer  meeting,  which  he  requested  they  would  all  uniformly 
attend.  This  caused  Mary  much  agitation  of  mind  ;  for  she 
felt  that  here   was  a  dividing  line.     She  must  now  class 


RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT    AT    BYFIELD.  17 

herself  with  the  children  of  God,  or  with  those  who  knew  him 
not.  She  said  that  she  had  too  long  denied  Christ  before 
men,  while  her  conscience  testified  that  the  friends  of  God 
were  her  chosen  companions.  After  much  deliberation,  she 
concluded  to  attend  the  meeting.  She  never  regretted  her 
decision,  although,  for  some  weeks  after,  she  was  so  entirely 
absorbed  in  her  studies  as  to  neglect  many  Christian  duties. 
To  my  reproof  she  would  say,  that  her  object  was  a  laudable 
cue  ;  her  means  were  so  limited,  and  her  time  so  precious, 
that  it  could  not  be  wrong  for  her  to  employ  her  energies  in 
gaining  knowledge.  You  know  there  was  unusual  interest 
in  religious  subjects  during  that  summer,  and  Mary's  mind 
became  deeply  exercised.  She  said  she  had  neglected  duty, 
yielded  to  temptation,  and  that  her  unbounded  thirst  for 
knowledge  had  so  absorbed  every  feeling,  that  there  was  no 
room  left  for  a  Savior's  love.  "  O,  my  leanness,  my  lean- 
ness !  "  was  her  bitter  cry.  In  the  course  of  a  few  days,  she 
became  more  calm.  As  there  was  no  family  worship  under 
the  roof  where  we  boarded,  she  proposed  that  we  should  in- 
vite one  of  the  young  ladies  of  the  family,  who  was  serious, 
to  unite  with  us  in  our  evening  devotions.  From  this  time 
Mary  was  faithful  in  conversing  with  her  and  her  sisters ; 
and  she  seemed,  in  her  daily  pursuits,  to  do  all  heartily  as 
unto  the  Lord. 

"  I  sincerely  thank  you  for  the  particulars  of  dear  Mary's 
sickness  and  deatlv  Her  being  taken  away  in  the  midst  of 
her  extensive  usefulness  reminds  me  of  a  remark  she  made 
when  Mr.  Evarts  was  called  home:  'Perhaps  such  mighty 
ones  are  removed,  that  such  weak,  insignificant  instruments 
as  we  are  may  have  the  privilege  of  doing  more  to  promote 
the  cause  of  Christ.'  " 

The  following  letters  to  her  mother  and  sisters  should  here 
find  a  place  :  — 

2* 


18  THE    PREPAKATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

TO    HER   MOTHER. 

"Btfield,  May  13,  1821. 

" I  feel  that  this  summer  is,  or  ought  to  be, 

peculiarly  profitable  to  me.  Much  depends  on  it.  Such  a 
spirit  of  piety  is  mingled  with  all  Mr.  Emerson's  instructions, 
that  the  one  thing  needful  is  daily  impressed  on  our  minds. 
From  our  scientific  pursuits  he  is  ever  ready  to  draw  prac- 
tical and  religious  instruction.  O  my  mother,  I  know  you 
would  be  delighted  to  witness  our  devotional  exercises,  both 
morning  and  evening ;  to  hear  him  read  and  explain  the 
Scriptures,  to  hear  such  pious  counsel  from  his  lips,  and  to 
unite  with  him  in  his  fervent  prayers  at  the  throne  of  grace 
in  behalf  of  his  scholars.  He  renders  every  recitation  at- 
tractive. Never  have  I  attended  one,  from  which  I  might 
not  gain  valuable  information,  either  scientific,  moral,  or 
religious.  We  have  Sabbath  lessons  to  recite  Monday 
morning. 

"  You  ask  if  I  am  contented,  and  if  I  am  satisfied  with  my 
school.  I  am  perfectly  so.  I  can  complain  of  nothing  but 
myself." 

TO    THE    SAME. 

"July  21,  1821. 

"  Each  passing  day  carries  my  heart  home  to  you,  my  dear 
parent,  and  all  my  other  friends,  till  I  can  no  longer  refrain 
from  writing.  Did  you  know  how  much  my  heart  dwells 
oit^her  who  loves  me  with  a  mother's  love,  some  of  you,  ere 
this,  would  have  filled  a  sheet  for  my  perusal.  I  long  to  see 
you  ;  but  I  will  suppress  my  tender  emotions,  while  I  have 
recourse  to  my  slow,  feeble  pen,  as  a  poor  substitute  for  the 
rapid  conversation  at  the  meeting  hour  of  a  mother  and 
daughter  —  conversation  which  stops  not  for  thoughts.  Re- 
cently I  have  thought  more  of  you  jhan  ever,  and  there  has 
been  a  reason.    Dear  mother,  could  you,  in  imagination,  have 


LETTER    TO    HER    MOTHER.  19 

visited  Byfield  this  week,  and  have  had  presented  to  your 
view  a  true  picture  of  the  passing  scene,  methinlis  your  heart 
would  have  risen  in  gratitude  to  Him  who  is  able  to  soften 
the  hardest  heart,  and  arouse  the  most  stupid  mind.  We 
have  a  female  prayer  meeting  on  Saturday  evenings,  termed 
'the  seminary  concert,'  for  those  members  of  the  school 
who  dare  hope  that  they  have  an  interest  at  the  throne  of 
grace  ;  and  these  constitute  about  half  our  number.  This 
has  been  regularly  attended  ever  since  the  establishment  of 
the  seminary.  Four  or  five  weeks  ago,  it  began  to  be  an 
inquiry  with  many,  what  they  should  do  for  the  salvation  of 
their  own  souls  and  the  souls  of  others.  Even  eight  or  nine 
weeks  since,  as  I  was  coaversing  with  Miss  D.,  (a  young  lady 
whom  I  mentioned  to  you  as  designed  for  a  mission  to  Jeru- 
salem,) she  expressed  great  anxiety  for  those  who  had  no 
hope  ;  observing  that  she  thought  Christians  had  much  to  do, 
and  that  their  situation  here  as  school  associates  gave  them 
a  peculiar  advantage.  Her  observations  made  some  impres- 
sion on  my  mind,  but  on  my  heart  I  fear  such  impressions 
are  mostly  '  like  the  morning  cloud  and  early  dew.'  With 
many  other  excellences,  I  believe  she  is  eminently  pious; 
and  I  hope  she  will  be  an  instrument  of  much  good  in  her 
anticipated  situation.  An  increasing  anxiety  for  a  revival  in 
the  seminary  began  to  prevail.  I  believe  that  in  this  respect 
Mr.  Emerson  has  been  highly  blessed  in  his  school.  I  can- 
not but  think  it  has  been  owing,  in  a  great  measure,  to  his 
excellent  instruction,  together  with  the  influence  of  his  pu- 
pils, a  great  number  of  whom  are  pious.  All,  at  this  time, . 
appeared  to  believe  that  it  would  be  their  fault  if  this  stu- 
pidity and  carelessness  continued  through  the  summer.  Mr. 
Emerson's  assistant  expressed  her  feelings,  at  one  of  our 
meetings,  in  the  most  interesting  and  affecting  manner.  She 
feared  that  the  Savior  was  here  wounded  in  the  house  of 
his  friends ;  that  Christians  in  this  school  were  grieving  the 
Holy  Spirit ;  that  the  state  of  their  hearts  presented  obstacles 


20  THE    PREPARATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

to  his  special  presence  and  work.  Tiie  solemnity,  affection, 
and  tender  solicitude  with  which  she  uttered  these  remarks, 
appeared  to  make  a  deep  impression  on  every  mind.  Since 
that,  a  visible  change  has  been  in  progress  in  the  school. 
This  week,  especially,  a  deep  solemnity  has  been  depicted 
on  every  countenance.  Sometimes,  during  devotional  exer- 
cises, or  while  listening  to  Mr.  E.'s  instructions  and  sol- 
emn warnings,  scarcely  a  heart  has  been  able  to  refrain  from 
sighs,  or  an  eye  from  tears.  Four  express  a  faint  hope  that 
they  have  passed  from  death  unto  life ;  but  they  hope  with 
trembling.  They  feel  that  there  is  great  danger  of  being 
deceived  ;  that  they  shall  believe  stupidity  to  be  trust  in 
God,  and  thus  sink  down  in  security,  and  finally  plunge 
themselves  in  everlasting  ruin.  Such  fears  seem  to  me  not 
unfavorable.  Well  may  they  fear,  and  well  may  we  tremble 
for  them,  and  for  all  those  who  are  passing  this  critical  pe- 
riod, this  all-important  moment  of  their  lives.  Should  any 
cherish  a  false  hope,  should  any  lay  their  foundation  in  the 
sand,  almost  as  easily  might  the  dead  be  raised,  as  such  be 
rescued  from  eternal  destruction.  May  this  not  be  the  case 
with  me  ? 

"  This  attention  is  entirely  confined  to  the  seminary. 
Imagine  to  yourself  a  little  circle  of  about  forty  females, 
almost  excluded  from  the  rest  of  the  human  family,  all  ap- 
pearing solemn  as  eternity. 

"  Monday  Eve.  —  We  had  a  solemn  time  yesterday.  Mr. 
E.  is  very  solicitous  for  our  spiritual,  as  well  as  temporal, 
welfare.  This  morning  he  made  some  remarks  on  the  im- 
portance and  manner  of  studying  the  Scriptures,  and  the 
importance  of  prayer.  He  daily  gives  us  much  good  in- 
struction. Friday  morning  was  a  solemn  time.  Mr.  E. 
remarked  upon  the  great  importance  of  improving  the  pres- 
ent period  to  secure  our  salvation,  observing  that  a  little 
cloud  had  arisen,  which  was  gently  distilling  a  few  drops  on 
this  favored  spot.     Though  it  was  equally  easy  with  God, 


REVIVAL    IN    THE    BYFIELD    SCHOOL.  21 

yet  it  was  not  probable,  when  most  of  us  should  disperse 
and  mingle  with  our  friends  and  companions,  that  the  cloud 
would  follow  us ;  but  most  likely  that  those  who  had  not 
made  their  peace  with  God  would  gradually  lose  their  im- 
pressions, ind  when  they  should  return,  the  shower  would  be 
past.  This  school  term  closes  to-morrow,  and  the  vacation 
is  two  weeks.  After  earnestly  and  solemnly  inviting,  en- 
treating, and  warning  us  not  to  let  the  present  moment  pass, 
he  closed  by  saying,  '  What  you  do,  do  quickly.'  There 
is  great  reason  to  fear  that  this  cloud  will  pass  by.  It  re- 
minds me  of  the  favorable  appearance  at  Buckland  last  fail ; 
but,  alas !  that  passed  away  as  the  morning  cloud  and  early 
dew.  Will  that  be  the  case  here  ?  I  cannot  bear  the 
thought.  As  we  are  about  to  separate,  the  members  of 
the  seminary  concert  met  at  our  chamber  after  school  for 
prayer.  We  had  an  impressive  season.  O  my  mother, 
will  you  not  remember  this  meeting  Saturday  evening  .-*  " 

"Btfield,  July  30,  1821. 
"Dear  Sister  Rosina: 

" I  have  been  over  to  the  seminary,  and 

spent  a  part  of  the  day  in  writing  alone,  for  the  purpose  both 
of  amusing  myself  during  this  lonesome  vacation,  and  of 
improving  my  handwriting.  As  I  mentioned  amusement  for 
vacation,  perhaps  you  think  I  have  nothing  to  do.  Far  oth- 
erwise. The  vacation  is  almost  half  gone,  and  "I  have  but 
just  begun  the  business  I  designed  to  complete.  Still  I  can- 
not say  that  I  am  not  lonesome.  You  cannot  imagine  the 
contrast  between  this  week  and  last.  What  think  you  my 
emotions  were,  when  I  saw  my  companions  dispersing  in  all 
directions  to  embrace  their  parents,  brothers,  and  sisters  ? 

"  O  that  I  could  fly  over  the  hills  and  pay  you  a  visit. 
Friends  know  best  the  strength  of  their  love  when  they  are 
separated.     If  possible,  I  think  more  of  you  now  than  ever. 


22  THE    PREPAKATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

But  should  I  fill  a  whole  sheet  in  describing  my  desire  to  see 
you,  and  the  delight  which  would  be  derived  from  an  inter- 
view with  you,  it  would  be  saying  just  nothing  at  all ;  there- 
fore I  shall  leave  all  to  be  supplied  by  your  imagination. 

"A  lady  from  Maine  has  just  arrived  to  attend  the  semi- 
nary. Perhaps  you  will  be  surprised  when  I  tell  you  that 
she  is  a  minister's  widow.  I  should  judge  she  was  more 
than  thirty  years  of  age.  This  would  be  remarked  as  un- 
common in  any  school  but  Mr.  Emerson's.  Though  no 
married  ladies  were  here  last  term,  yet  there  had  been 
such  in  seasons  past. 

"  You  ask  what  proficiency  I  make  in  my  studies.  You 
know  I  always  found  difficulties,  doubts,  and  inconsistencies 
in  grammar ;  and  the  most  I  have  done  in  that  branch  is  to 
multiply  these  difficulties  on  every  hand.  But  I  must  not  be 
discouraged  at  this.  Mr.  E.  remarked  to  us  that  nothing  yet 
has  been  brought  to  perfection  ;  and,  as  there  are  difficulties 
in  every  pursuit,  if  a  person  sees  none,  it  argues  his  almost 
entire  ignorance.  Dr.  Emmons  observed  once  to  Mr,  E. 
that  he  often  found  it  much  harder  to  make  a  pupil  discover 
a  difficulty,  than  to  remove  it  when  discovered." 

TO    HER   YOUNGEST    SISTER. 

"Byfield,  August  11,  1821. 

" I  possess  many  facilities  for  improvement, 

but  they  only  increase  my  obligation.  I  believe  I  have  never 
before  realized  the  solemnity  of  living,  so  much  as  I  do  this 
summer.  I  often  think  that,  if  possible,  it  is  more  solemn 
to  live  than  to  die.  What  important  consequences  may  de- 
pend on  a  single  word,  or  on  the  most  trifling  deed  !  With 
how  much  care  and  deliberation  should  we  regulate  all  our 
conduct,  and  even  our  every  thought !  This  requires  the 
most  vigorous  exertion  of  all  our  faculties ;  nay,  more,  we 


PUBLIC   PROFESSION    OF   EELIGION.  23 

need  constant  instruction  from  heaven,  and  the  daily  guidance 
of  the  Holy  Spirit." 

After  Miss  Lyon'sreturn  from  Byfield,  in  the  winter  and 
spring  of  1822,  she  was  engaged  to  assist  in  the  academy 
at  Ashfield,  then  under  the  care  of  Mr.  Abijah  Cross,  now 
settled  in  the  'ministry  in  West  Haverhill,  Massachusetts. 
There  had  also  been  a  season  of  deep  religious  interest  in 
that  school ;  and  coming  into  it  so  directly  from  Byfield, 
where  her  feelings  had  undergone  a  change,  her  religious 
character  still  gradually  improved.  She  was  not  then  inclined 
to  speak  to  others  of  the  things  concerning  their  eternal 
welfare,  nor  did  she  acknowledge  much  religious  enjoyment. 
But  she  always  listened  with  the  greatest  deference  and  in- 
terest to  any  religious  instruction ;  and  it  is  the  testimony  of 
Mr.  Cross  that  her  influence  was  decidedly  for  Christ  and 
his  cause. 

It  should  not  be  understood  that  she  did  not  at  this  time 
converse  with  her  pupils  on  what  would  generally  be  termed 
religious  subjects.  Her  regard  for  the  Bible  was  so  fervent, 
and  her  reverence  for  it  so  profound,  that  she  would  dwell 
on  its  beauty  and  sublimity  with  deep  interest.  She  would 
also  talk  with  great  delight  of  the  principles  of  natural  reli- 
gion ;  and  when  instructing  in  natural  philosophy,  astrono- 
my, &c.,  she  never  omitted  an  opportunity  of  impressing  on 
the  minds  of  her  pupils  the  power,  wisdom,  and  goodness 
of  God,  as  displayed  in  his  works.  But  she  was  not  then  in 
the  habit  of  bringing  Bible  truth  to  bear  on  the  minds  of  her 
pupils,  and  of  leading  them  to  feel  personal  responsibility  in 
the  great  work  of  renovating  the  world.  Indeed,  the  desire 
to  labor  for  Christ  had  not  then  fully  possessed  her  own 
heart.  Still,  her  consciousness  of  reliance  on  him  for  salva- 
tion, and  of  her  obligation  to  honor  him  by  obeying  his  last 
command,  led  her  openly  to  profess  her  faith  in  him  by 
uniting  herself  with  the  Congregational  church  in  Buckland 
in  the  spring  of  1822. 


24  THE    PREPARATOKY    DISCIPLINE. 

She  continued  to  instruct  in  the  Sanderson  Academy  after 
Mr.  Cross  left  it,  and  at  one  time  was  connected  in  teaching 
with  Mr.  Amasa  Converse,  now  Dr.  Converse,  editor  of  the 
Philadelphia  Christian  Observer,  which  paper,  after  her 
death,  contained  an  article  from  his  pen  in  testimony  of  her 
talents  and  worth. 

Moments  often  occur  in  the  lives  of  individuals  which 
give  character  to  their  whole  future  existence.  There  were 
two  of  these  seasons  in  Miss  Lyon's  life,  in  which  we  cannot 
but  admire  and  adore  the  wisdom  of  that  Providence  which 
led  her  in  a  path  that  she  had  not  known.  One  was,  when, 
principally  for  want  of  success,  she  seriously  contemplated 
never  again  engaging  in  teaching.  She  has  been  heard  to 
remark  that  the  reasons  for  and  against  it  were  so  nearly 
balanced,  that  the  least  circumstance  on  either  side  would 
have  turned  the  scale.  But  she  was  guided  by  an  unseen 
hand,  and  was  induced  again  to  make  the  attempt.  The 
other  was  when  she  was  invited  by  her  brother,  in  1822,  to 
go  to  Chatauque  county,  New  York,  as  a  teacher.  The 
question  then  before  her  was  one  which  tried  her  exceed- 
ingly, and  was  not  only  one  of  the  most  difficult,  but  it  was 
also  one  of  the  most  important,  of  her  life.  On  the  one 
hand  was  her  dear  and  only  brother,  who  had  come  from  a 
great  distance,  with  all  the  anxiety  he  would  naturally  feel 
to  secure  her  return  with  him  ;  the  consideration  of  his  in- 
creasing family,  in  a  comparatively  destitute  region,  and  her 
own  personal  affection  for  them.  On  the  other  hand  were 
the  friends  who  had  encouraged  and  assisted  her  to  fit  herself 
for  what  they  thought  a  more  appropriate  sphere  than  a  new 
country,  and  their  increasing  esteem  for  her  services  in  thstt 
sphere.  For  a  long  time,  she  vacillated,  and  seemed  to  find 
no  relief  in  her  perplexity,  save  in  her  flowing  tears.  But 
God  opened  to  her  mind  the  way  she  should  choose. 

For  the  better  understanding  of  some  parts  of  this  narra- 
tive, it  may  be  proper  here  to  state  that  her  sister  R.,  the 


MISS    LYON    INVITED    TO    DERRY.  25 

one  next  in  age  to  herself,  afterwards  went  to  her  brother's 
in  Stockton,  New  York,  and  occupied  a  situation  there  as  a 
teacher  until  her  marriage  in  that  place. 

Go  where  she  would,  Miss  Lyon  never  could  have  been 
an  ordinary  woman.  She  would  have  made  the  world  better 
by  having  lived  in  it.  Still,  at  that  time  she  had  many  hab- 
its, both  of  person  and  mind,  that,  without  the  counteracting 
influence  which  was  afterwards  exerted  upon  her,  must  have 
been  a  great  obstacle  to  her  usefulness.  Her  character  was 
then  peculiar ;  it  would  have  become  distorted.  It  was  like 
the  unchiselled  marble,  which  few  can  behold  without  per- 
ceiving that  it  is  valuable ;  yet  all  desire  that  its  worth  and 
beauty  may  be  drawn  forth  by  the  artist's  hand. 

Had  she  then  gone  to  Western  New  York,  she  would,  no 
doubt,  have  been  useful ;  but  there  is  no  probability  that  she 
would  ever  have  accomplished  what  she  has  for  the  world. 

Soon  after  her  decision  not  to  go  with  her  brother,  she  was 
invited  to  assist  Miss  Z.  P.  Grant*  in  the  Adams  Female 
Academy,  at  Londonderry,  (now  Derry,)  New  Hampshire. 
The  acquaintance  between  these  ladies  commenced  in  1821, 
Miss  Lyon  being  a  member  of  Mr.  Emerson's  seminary 
during  the  first  term  in  which  Miss  Grant  aided  Mr.  E.  as 
a  teacher. 

The  following  letters  will  show  the  light  in  which  the 
question  of  engaging  in  this  academy  was  viewed  by 
Miss  L. :  — 

TO    MISS    G. 

"AsHFiELD,  December  1,  1823. 
•'  I  will  not  waste  time  in  describing  my  feelings  on  receiv- 
ing a  letter  from  your  own  hand.  I  had  received  some  indi- 
rect information  respecting  the  academy  at  Londonderry 
before.  From  what  I  had  learned  of  the  general  plan,  I 
concluded  it  might  be  an  eminent  means  of  doing  good.     A 

*  No^^•  Mrs.  Banister,  of  Newburyport. 
3 


26  THE    PREPARATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

few  days  previous  to  the  reception  of  your  letter,  a  secret 
desire  entered  my  heart  that  you  might  he  connected  with 
that  institution.  But  I  dismissed  it  as  a  romantic  thought. 
After  breaking  the  seal  of  your  letter,  and  eagerly  running 
over  the  contents,  said  I,  '  Is  this  a  dream,  or  a  sober 
reality  ? ' 

"  At  least,  my  friend,  I  rejoice  that  taking  the  charge  of 
this  school  has  been  submitted  to  your  consideration.  May 
the  Lord  direct  you  in  the  path  of  duty. 

"  But  I  must  say  something  upon  the  great  question  before 
me ;  and,  indeed,  I  know  not  what  to  say.  The  academy 
in  which  I  am  now  engaged  is  an  infant  institution.  The 
founder.  Rev.  Alvan  Sanderson,  the  former  pastor  of  this 
church,  was  governed  by  the  purest  motives ;  and  I  consider 
it  a  privilege  to  aid  in  carrying  out  his  benevolent  designs. 
Many  of  its  present  guardians  are  my  friends,  and  from 
them  I  have  frequently  received  favors.  This  is  the  school 
where  I  was  principally  educated,  and  to  which  I  feel  in  no 
small  degree  indebted.  This  school  has  so  far  been  a 
silent,  retired,  and  powerful  means  of  doing  good.  The 
number  of  pupils  has  usually  been  small  ;  but  I  believe  tlie 
church  will  hereafter  count  some  able  supporters  which  she 
would  not  have  had  if  this  school  had  never  existed.  Soon 
after  I  returned  from  By  field,  I  entered  this  school  as  an 
assistant.  No  other  female  teacher  has  ever  been  employed 
by  the  trustees,  and  they  earnestly  desire  to  secure  my 
labors  as  great  a  proportion  of  the  time  as  their  funds  will 
permit.  Besides,  there  have  been  circumstances  which  have 
led  me  to  think  that  my  usefulness  might  be  more  extensive 
here  than  in  almost  any  other  place  of  equal  importance. 

"  Yet  the  inducements  to  accept  your  invitation  are  great. 
It  seems  to  be  a  field  especially  adapted  to  my  capacity. 
The  systematic  arrangement  which  you  propose  would  be 
highly  gratifying  to  me,  as  it  perfectly  meets  my  views. 
Finally,  the  pleasure  of  spending  the  time  with  you  is  truly 


,-e 


LETTERS    TO    MISS    GRANT.  27 

inviting.  If  I  am  not  deceived,  I  have  taken  some  satisfac- 
tion in  committing  this  subject  to  God.  If  that  is  not  the 
place  for  me,  may  He  give  you  some  other  one,  who  will  be 
a  useful  assistant  and  a  pleasant  companion.  I  slept  but 
little  for  one  or  two  nights  after  I  first  heard  from  you ; 
since  that  time,  my  mind  has  been  remarkably  calm.  May 
the  Lord  direct  our  course.  I  cannot,  I  would  not,  choose 
for  myself." 

TO    MISS    G. 

"AsHFiELD,  December  30,  1823. 

"  By  the  last  mail  I  received  your  letter.  I  am  glad  you 
have  decided  affirmatively  respecting  Derrj'.  The  new 
plan  of  that  school  will  require  some  peculiar  qualifications 
in  those  who  are  to  take  charge  of  it.  I  believe  those  quali- 
fications, at  least,  are  possessed  by  yourself  in  such  a  degree 
as  will  enable  you,  in  the  most  important  points,  eminently 
to  excel. 

"  The  more  I  think  of  your  plan,  the  more  I  approve  it.  I 
cannot  but  hope  that  that  academy  will  yet  be  the  means  of 
much  good.  Should  the  plan  succeed,  the  influence  of 
example  would  be  something.  Public  opinion  in  favor  of 
systematic  female  education  needs  support.  Every  proof 
that  system  is  practicable,  would  add  its  weight  in  the  scale. 

"  Respecting  myself,  though  the  proposal  did  not  strike  my 
mind  unfavorably  at  first,  yet  the  more  I  think  of  it,  the 
more  I  am  inclined  to  decide  affirmatively.  The  obstacles 
have  seemed  gradually  to  diminish,  and  the  favorable  cir- 
cumstances rather  to  brighten  by  examination.  In  relation 
to  my  own  personal  situation,  the  prospect,  since  you  first 
wrote  me,  has  appeared  sufficiently  pleasant  ;  indeed,  I 
fear  too  pleasant.  I  tremble  more  than  if  the  path  appeared 
more  rugged.  The  desire  you  have  expressed  that  I  should 
engage  with  you  has  been  one  means  of  inclining  me  to  be- 
lieve that  my  field  of  labor  is  with  you.  It  did,  however, 
lead  me  to  much  self-scrutiny.     Expect  not  too  much  from 


28  THE    PKEPARATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

me,  1  beseech  you.  I  fear  you  will  be  disappointed.  I  have 
a  strange,  rebellious,  wicked  heart.  When  shall  I  be  wholly 
devoted  to  God  ?  I  cannot  trust  myself.  I  find  my  best 
promises  violated,  my  best  resolutions  broken.  The  half 
cannot  be  told." 

At  the  close  of  another  letter  to  the  same  friend,  she 
writes,  — 

•'January  15,  1823. 
"  Pray  for  me,  that  I  may  habitually  know  and  feel  my  de- 
pendence on  God.  How  safe  it  is  to  trust  in  God  !  How 
easily  can  he  give  counsel  and  assistance  in  all  things,  the 
smallest  as  well  as  the  greatest !  And  how  ready  and  willing 
is  he  always  to  assist !  It  would  seem  that  I  have  too  fre- 
quently tried  my  own  strength,  that  I  have  experienced  too 
many  instances  of  the  particular  guardian  care  and  protec- 
tion of  God,  to  doubt  in  whom  I  should  place  my  trust. 
Alas !  I  have  a  treacherous  heart.  But  our  God  is  faithful. 
The  unfaithfulness  of  his  rebellious  creatures  cannot  exceed 
his  mercy  and  long-suffering.  His  mercy  endures  forever, 
and  his  promises  never  fail." 

As  the  result  of  this  correspondence.  Miss  Grant  paid  a 
visit  to  Miss  Lyon  at  Ashfield.  Miss  L.,  having  decided  to 
go  with  her  to  Derry,  attended  Professor  Eaton's  lectures  on 
chemistry  and  natural  history  at  Amherst,  Massachusetts, 
that  she  might  be  prepared  to  illustrate  by  experiments  the 
science  of  chemistry. 

As  the  plan  adopted  in  the  school  at  Derry  was  the  com- 
mencement of  that  which  was  so  successfully  carried  out  at 
Ipswich,  and  afterwards  at  South  Hadley,  a  few  extracts  will 
be  made  from  her  letters  during  the  first  summer  she  was  at 
Derry,  which  will  not  only  introduce  us  to  the  operations 
of  that  school,  but  will  also  exhibit  her  own  personal 
feelings.  » 


LETTER    TO    HER    MOTHER.  29 

TO    HER    MOTHER. 

"Londonderry,  June  5,  1824. 

"  I  feel  that  I  am  almost  worthy  of  blame  that  I  have  not 
yet  written  home  since  my  arrival  here ;  but  I  content  my- 
self, knowing  that  my  friends  are  too  well  acquainted  with 
my  usual  delays  in  writing  to  be  very  much  disappointed. 

"  A  letter  arrived  here  before  I  did,  stating  the  death  of 
brother  Moore.  I  expected  it  might  contain  some  important 
intelligence,  and  almost  feared  to  open  it.  It  was  pleasant 
to  be  greeted  by  the  handwriting  of  my  sisters  L.  and  F.,  but 
mournful  to  be  thus  called  to  sympathize  with  dear  sister  E. 
You  know,  my  dear  mother,  by  experience,  what  her  afflic- 
tions are ;  and  probably  you  never  before  have  so  desired  to 
see  sister  Moore  as  at  the  present  time.  But  this  cannot  be, 
and  may  you  be  resigned  to  the  will  of  God 

"  My  health  has  been  much  better  since  I  came  here  than  it 
was  during  the  spring.  My  spirits,  which  commonly  rise 
and  sink  with  my  health,  are  consequently  very  good.  I 
hope  1  am  thankful  for  health.  We  have  a  very  pleasant 
school,  over  sixty  in  number.  I  find  in  Miss  G.  all  I  expected. 
There  are  two  assistants  besides  myself,  Mrs.  R.  and  Miss 
C,  and  we  all  find  enough  to  engage  our  x^hole  time.  I  see 
nothing  now  but  that  I  may  pass  the  summer  pleasantly ; 
and  I  would  hope  that  I  may  be  in  some  measure  useful 
in  this  institution.  So  many  young  ladies  are  collected 
together  here  from  different  places  to  gain  knowledge  and 
form  habits,  which  they  are  to  carry  with  them  to  their 
respective  homes,  that  it  is  to  us  an  interesting  spot.  How 
important  that  the  minds  and  habits  of  these  youth  should  be 
rightly  formed  ! 

"  We  hope  a  few  of  our  pupils  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in 
sincerity.  What  cause  of  rejoicing,  should  others  be  added 
to  the  number !  You  will  not  cease  to  pray  for  us,  my 
mother,  that  we  may  be  blessed,  and  that  we  may  be  made  a 
blessing  in  the  world." 
3* 


30  THE    PKEPARATORT    DISCIPLINE. 

TO    MISS    H.    W. 

'•Londonderry,  July  2,  1824. 

" The  regulations  of  this  school  are  such  as 

to  enable  us  to  have  much  system  and  order.  This  regular 
system  is  calculated  to  give  our  pupils  faithful,  attentive 
habits.  They  feel  that  their  course  is  marked  out,  and 
generally  that  whatever  is  assigned  them  must  be  accom- 
plished. Composition,  you  know,  is  one  of  the  most  trying 
exercises.  But  even  in  this  we  have  not  had  an  instance 
yet  in  which  any  young  lady  has  been  in  the  least  delinquent. 
In  some  respects,  perhaps,  this  school  meets  our  wishes  more 
fully  than  any  I  have  seen.  I  might  mention  particulars ; 
but  the  beginning  of  all  little  evils  in  a  school  is  whispering. 
Miss  G.  has  adopted  a  plan  to  prevent  this,  which  has  been 
very  successful.  After  leading  her  pupils  to  feel  the  im- 
portance of  being  truthful,  and  stating  facts  as  they  are,  she 
requires  each  to  bring  in  a  weekly  ticket  with  her  name 
attached,  stating  whether  she  has,  or  has  not,  made  any  com- 
munication in  school  during  the  week,  either  by  whispering, 
or  by  writing,  or  in  any  other  way  equally  suited  to  divert 
the  attention.  We  have  some  young  ladies  who  have  not 
made  a  communication  of  this  kind  since  the  commencement 
of  our  school ;  and  probably  none  who  have  not  passed  some 
weeks  without  a  failure  on  this  point.  Miss  Grant,  of  course, 
would  not  adopt  this  plan  unless  the  scholars  evinced  a  con- 
science both  enlightened  and  lively  as  to  the  distinction 
between  truth  and  falsehood. 

"  The  prospects  of  this  school  at  present  are  very  promising. 
The  trustees  take  a  deep  interest  in  its  prosperity.  They 
place  great  confidence  in  the  principal,  and  are  ready  to  do 
every  thing  she  requests.  The  location  here  not  being 
favorable  for  a  winter  school,  our  academy  is  open  only 
thirty  weeks  in  a  year  ;  Miss  G.  devoting  the  winter,  however, 
as  well  as  the  summer,  to  the  interests  of  the  institution. 


LETTER    TO    HER    SISTER.  31 

"  I  shall  spend  my  vacation  with  Rev.  Mr.  C.  He  is  at 
length  united  to  his  beloved  P.  She  appears  to  be  just  such 
a  wife  as  he  needs  ;  uniformly  cheerful,  polite,  and  attentive 
to  all.  They  passed  one  night  with  me  on  their  marriage 
tour ;  and  when  he  led  in  prayer  in  the  family,  his  voice  and 
manner  were  just  as  formerly.  You  can  imagine  how  much 
it  recalled  past  scenes  in  Ashfield  Academy." 

TO    HER    SISTER    F. 

"  LONDONDEEBY,  July  7,  1824. 

"  Three  weeks  from  to-day  our  vacation  commences,  and 
then  I  shall  probably  think  much  of  home.  Although  I  am 
pleasantly  situated,  and  have  no  more  cares  and  little  daily 
trials  than  I  should  expect,  yet  it  would  be  pleasant  to  spend 
an  hour  with  one  of  my  dear  sisters,  to  whom  I  could  tell 
all  my  heart.  The  fact  that  no  two  of  our  family,  unless  it 
be  our  brother  and  our  sister  Rosina,  are  spending  this  sum- 
mer together,  awakens  emotions  peculiar  and  rather  gloomy. 
Ever  since  I  heard  of  brother  Moore's  death,  but  more  par- 
ticularly for  two  days  past,  I  have  thought  much  of  my 
brother  and  sisters.  I  have  seemed  to  review  twenty  years 
in  relation  to  ourselves.  Change  and  revolution,  uncertainty 
and  disappointment,  decay  and  death,  are  stamped  on  every 
object.  I  see  this  family,  that  about  twenty  years  ago  were 
prattling  children,  united  and  happy  in  the  arms  of  their 
fond  parents,  now  scattered  over  four  different  states  of  the 
Union,  and  some  of  them  seven  hundred  miles  apart.  I  see 
the  eldest,  in  whom  we  all  placed  confidence  as  a  counsellor 
and  friend,  and  to  whom  we  are  in  some  degree  indebted, 
separated  from  her  friends,  carried  by  Providence  into  the 
lonely  wilderness,  there  to  pass  her  days  almost  alone  and 
unpitied,  where  no  one  of  us  can  give  her  a  cheerful  smile 
or  a  word  of  consolation.  I  well  remember  how  much  ani- 
mation and  energy  she  possessed,  when  she  used  to  spend 
her  days  in  teaching.     But  over  her  head   age  has  crept 


32  THE    PREPARATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

apace  ;  ill  health  has  worn  down  her  spirits ;  and,  to  use  her 
own  language,  '  sickness  and  trials  have  followed,  till  now 
this  terrible  blow  is  struck.'  Where  now  are  her  buoyant 
spirits  ?     Where  her  resolution  ? 

"  I  see  another  sister,  too,  passing  through  different  scenes, 
and  now  called  to  consign  her  oldest  child  to  the  silent  tomb. 

You  wrote  in  somewhat  of  a  gloomy  strain, 

but  I  hope  it  was  only  momentary.  You  will  do  well  to  en- 
deavor to  gain  the  confidence  of  your  pupils,  and  to  make 
them  see  the  reasons  of  your  requirements.  Do  not  say  too 
much  to  them  at  one  time.  I  think  it  best  to  devote  some 
attention  to  their  behavior,  even  if  they  do  not  study  so  much. 
If  your  older  pupils  should  be  disposed  to  trouble  you,  per- 
haps it  may  be  beneficial  to  converse  with  each  one  out  of 
school,  and  entirely  alone.  By  taking  such  a  method  occa- 
sionally, you  may  operate  upon  their  feelings,  and  lead  them 
to  a  right  determination  when  you  otherwise  could  not.  The 
good  influence  of  every  well-behaved  pupil  in  school  is  great. 
Endeavor  to  lead  them  always  to  speak  the  truth,  and  then 
let  them  know  that  you  depend  on  their  word.  If  they  are 
truthful,  and  have  enlightened  consciences,  so  that  you  can 
depend  on  their  stating  facts  as  they  are,  I  would  recommend 
to  you  a  plan  to  prevent  whispering 

"  If  you  require  it,  you  must  see  it  faithfully  performed  ; 
otherwise  it  will  have  a  very  bad  influence  on  your  school. 
If  you  adopt  this  plan,  you  would  do  well  to  begin  at  first 
individually  with  a  few  of  the  oldest. 

"  Let  me  hear  not  only  from  yourself,  but  also  from  my 
other  friends.  Separation  does  not  lessen  the  interest  I  take 
in  their  welfare.  When  I  think  of  the  older  members  of  our 
family,  I  also  involuntarily  think  of  their  children.  I  have 
the  same  kind  of  interest  in  their  prosperity  that  I  have  ever 
had  for  that  of  their  parents.  Sometimes  I  feel  that  it  would 
be  a  privilege  to  live,  if  I  could  only  render  myself  useful  to 
the  children  of  my  brother  and  sisters." 


LETTER   TO   A   EOOM-MATE   AT    SCHOOL.  33 

TO    HER    ROOM-MATE    WHEN    AT    SCHOOL. 

"  LoNDOXDBEKT,  September  26,  1824. 
*  I  am  now  engaged  in  teaching  in  the  *  Adams  Female 
Academy,'  Londonderry,  N.  H.  This  school  commenced 
its  operations  in  the  spring.  The  plan  may  be  called  Emer- 
sonian, though  considerably  altered  to  meet  our  particular 
purpose.  The  care  of  the  school  is  committed  to  Miss  Grant. 
You  know  she  is  well  fitted  to  guide,  and  I  think  she  has 
improved  very  much  since  you  knew  her.  She  spent  about 
six  weeks  here  last  winter,  making  arrangements  with  refer- 
ence to  the  school.  This  was  a  very  favorable  circumstance. 
In  every  part  of  the  plan  I  can  see  her  design  ;  consequently 
it  is  much  more  easily  executed.  Although,  as  you  know,  I 
have  the  highest  opinion  of  the  utility  of  Mr.  Emerson's  plan 
for  young  ladies  of  adult  age,  yet  I  never  considered  it  fitted 
to  carry  a  young  lady  through  her  whole  course  of  school 
education  ;  I  mean,  as  conducted  when  we  were  at  Byfield. 
It  supposed  too  much  previous  improvement.  The  course 
was  too  rapid  for  ordinary  minds,  and  also  for  such  as  were 
young,  or  but  little  improved.  We  have  more  classes,  our 
course  is  slower,  and  the  increased  number  of  teachers  will 
enable  us  to  execute  our  plans  thoroughly.  We  have  three 
regular  classes,  denominated  senior,  middle,  and  junior. 
Certain  defined  qualifications  are  necessary  to  enter  each  of 
these  classes.  Members  of  the  senior  and  middle  classes 
can  attend  a  coui'se  of  drawing  and  painting  if  they  choose. 
We  have  also  as  many  preparatory  classes  as  circumstances 
require.  The  young  ladies  are  examined,  and  are  placed 
where  it  is  thought  they  will  improve  the  most.  They  are 
classed,  not  at  all  according  to  the  number  of  books  they 
have  studied,  but  according  to  the  real  knowledge  they  are 
found  to  possess.  We  have  but  very  few  under  fifteen  years 
of  age  who  can  enter  the  regular  classes.  We  have  this 
summer  about  sixty  pupils,  and  we  have  sufficient  employ- 
ment.    You  know  that  Mr.  E.  attended  to  many  little  things 


34  THE    PKEPAEATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

in  his  school,  which  were  not  common  in  schools  generally. 
Some,  however,  he  was  able  only  to  recommend,  and  leave 
for  the  young  ladies  to  accomplish,  or  not,  as  they  thought 
proper.  The  design  of  Miss  G.  is  to  have  every  thing  that 
is  proposed  for  immediate  attention  pursued  until  it  is  accom- 
plished ;  and  the  teachers  see  that  it  is  done.  This  requires 
care  and  exertion.  It  is  not  a  small  task  to  instruct  our 
young  ladies  in  writing.  Pen-making  and  the  manner  of 
holding  the  pen,  I  think,  require  one  half  the  exertion  in  this 
department.  Each  is  required  to  write  with  her  own  pen, 
and  no  one  is  allowed  to  request  a  pen  to  be  made  for  her 
by  any  other  young  lady  without  permission.  This  we  find 
not  difficult.  Though  I  should  not  enter  into  a  particular 
detail,  yet  I  believe  you  will  think  I  have  something  to  do. 
My  friends,  however,  receive  letters  from  me  rather  more 
frequently  than  when  I  was  at  Byfield  ;  but  I  suppose  they 
will  even  now  complain. 

"  In  several  branches  we  use  a  method  in  some  degree  new, 
commenced  in  Mr.  Emerson's  school  two  years  since,  and 
by  him  termed  the  topic  system.  Subjects  are  selected 
from  the  lesson,  which  are  first  to  be  simply  defined  ;  and 
then  more  or  less,  or  all,  that  the  book  contains,  is  to  be 
learned  and  recited. 

"  Before  coming  to  this  place.  Miss  G.  had  tried  the  experi- 
ment, term  after  term,  in  her  own  private  school,  of  having 
young  ladies  give  daily  attention  to  lessons  from  the  Bible. 
She  has  great  confidence  in  the  study  of  this  book  for  intel- 
lectual discipline,  as  well  as  for  the  guidance  and  control  of 
the  heart.  Before  she  engaged  to  take  charge  of  this  acad- 
emy, she  gained  the  consent  of  the  executive  committee,  that, 
in  accordance  with  a  deeply-cherished  purpose,  she  should 
feel  at  liberty  to  employ  one  seventh  part  of  the  intellectual 
energies  of  her  pupils  upon  what  is  contained  in  this  store- 
house of  knowledge.  While  examining  the  classes  at  the 
commencement  of  the  school,  all  were  occupied  in  the  daily 


PLAN    OF    THE    SCHOOL    AT    DEEBY.  35 

Study  and  recitation  of  Scripture  history.  Every  week  of 
the  term,  each  pupil  is  expected  to  apply  her  mind  closely, 
two  hours  or  more,  to  the  Scripture  lesson  given  out  early  in 
the  week,  and  recited  the  next  Monday  morning.  This  study 
has  excited  more  deep  and  universal  interest  than  any  other. 
Some  now  feel  the  force  of  the  truths  they  are  learning ;  and 
many,  I  trust,  will  eventually  be  made  wise  unto  salvation. 

"  In  gaining  a  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures,  a  variety  of 
methods  is  useful.  While  I  was  pursuing  the  study  on  the 
topic  system,  I  thought  it  might  be  profitable  to  older  mem- 
bers of  Sabbath  schools,  and  I  will  annex  a  few  of  the  topics 
from  Genesis.  Creation ;  the  Sabbath  ;  garden  of  Eden  ; 
tree  of  knowledge  of  good  and  evil ;  tree  of  life  ;  the  ser- 
pent ;  disobedience  of  our  first  parents  ;  expulsion  of  our 
first  parents  from  the  garden  of  Eden  ;  Adam  ;  Eve  ;  sacri- 
fices ;  Cain  ;  Abel ;  Enoch  ;  wickedness  of  man  ;  the  flood  ; 
Noah's  ark  ;  the  rainbow  ;  Noah  ;  Babel." 

Self-knowledge  was  one  of  the  distinguishing  traits  in  Miss 
Lyon's  earlier  character.  She  knew  where  her  superior 
strength  lay,  and  she  as  well  knew  her  own  peculiar  weak- 
nesses. What  she  could  do  well  in  school  she  was  ready  to 
attempt,  and  what  she  could  not  do  well  she  preferred  not  to 
do  at  all ;  unless  it  was  something  that  must  be  done,  and 
could  be  done  by  no  one  else.  For  several  of  the  first  years 
of  her  teaching  young  ladies,  she  would  avoid  mingling  with 
them  at  recess,  and  when  they  were  coming  in  and  going 
out  of  school ;  for  she  said  she  could  not  do  this,  and  com- 
mand their  respect  sufficiently  to  maintain  her  influence  over 
them.  At  the  same  time,  she  knew  that  she  could  excite 
the  interest  and  command  the  attention  of  a  class,  and  that 
on  some  subjects  she  could  interest  a  large  school.  It  was 
not  uncommon  for  her  to  say,  "  That  is  one  of  the  things 
which  I  cannot  do ;  but  I  can  do  this  very  well,  or  so  well 
that  no  one  will  suffer  loss  ;   and  I  want  this  for  my  part 


36  THE    PREPARATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

today."  But  rather  than  the  school,  or  an  individual,  should 
suffer  loss,  especially  in  respect  to  moral  habits,  she  would, 
with  great  self-command,  put  forth  her  best  efforts,  even 
when  she  thought  it  probable  that  she  should,  by  the  effort, 
lose  a  part  of  the  confidence  and  respect  which  she  had  pre- 
viously possessed.  The  estimation  in  which  she  might  be 
held,  important  as  it  was  in  one  view,  was,  in  her  judgment, 
a  minor  circumstance,  compared  with  the  good  of  those 
under  her  care. 

The  defects  in  her  manners  and  style  of  conversation  were 
felt  in  a  considerable  degree  by  herself,  as  well  as  by  her 
friends. 

For  several  years  after  entering  upon  her  duties  as  teacher 
in  the  Adams  Female  Academy,  she  took  great  pains  to  cor- 
rect her  undesirable  habits.  Some  of  them  she  entirely 
overcame  ;  others  were  modified  ;  and  of  others,  all  that  could 
be  perceived,  as  the  fruit  of  her  endeavors,  was  that  they  did 
not  essentially  increase.  She  looked  upon  these  defects,  in 
things  external,  as  totally  different  in  character  from  such  as 
have  their  seat  in  the  understanding  or  in  the  heart.  She 
felt  that  they  were  obstacles  in  the  way  of  her  usefulness ; 
that  they  might,  with  comparative  ease,  have  been  corrected 
in  her  childhood  or  youth,  but  that  after  middle  life,  when 
"•her  whole  soul  was  absorbed  with  the  wants  of  a  race  of 
immortal  beings,  she  could  not  overcome  many  of  these 
little  things,  without  giving  to  the  work  so  much  thought 
and  effort  as  essentially  to  diminish  her  capacity  to  labor  for 
the  good  of  others.  Her  uncommon  success  in  correcting* 
her  early  defective  habits  was  truly  praiseworthy,  and  emi- 
nently encouraging  to  others.  Persons  who  knew  her  not 
in  early  life  can  form  but  little  conception  of  her  power  of 
self-control,  or  her  inherent  strength.  To  give  an  idea  of 
this,  some  particulars  will  be  mentioned. 

In  the  early  part  of  her  literary  career,  her  habits,  in  every 
respect,  were  desultory.     She  would  study,  eat,  and  sleep. 


IMPROVEMENT    IN    HABITS.  37 

just  when  she  could  find  the  time,  and  would  even  sit  up  all 
night  to  study.  But  as  soon  as  she  was  convinced  that  it  was 
best,  if  not  for  her,  yet  for  her  influence,  she  entered  into  a 
methodical  arrangement,  and  no  one  around  her  would  be 
more  systematic  in  her  division  of  time.  At  the  appointed 
hour  she  would  retire,  whatever  might  be  left  undone. 

She  always  said,  that  her  first  attempts  at  teaching  were 
unsuccessful,  and  that  she  essentially  failed  in  government. 
How  far  she  was  unsuccessful  in  the  view  of  others,  we  are 
not  able  to  say ;  but  it  would  appear  that  she  exhibited  no 
peculiar  aptness  for  the  employment,  as  she  said  that  it  was 
frequendy  remarked  to  her,  "  You  will  never  equal  your  sister 
E.  as  a  teacher."  How  much  self-control  she  must  have 
exercised  to  overcome  these  difficulties,  let  those  judge  who 
were  associated  with  her  the  last  few  years  of  her  life. 

Which  of  her  pupils  or  friends  of  later  years  would  sus- 
pect, that  naturally  she  was  easily  discouraged,  and  that 
from  childhood  to  womanhood,  if  any  of  her  plans  failed,  she 
would  be  so  disheartened  as  not  to  know  which  way  to  turn 
for  a  substitute  .''  Yet  that  this  was  the  case,  her  early  friends 
will  bear  witness. 

Who  that,  in  later  life,  saw  her  countenance,  every  day, 
serene  as  the  summer's  setting  sun,  would  ever  suspect  that 
she  formerly  could  not  rise  above  disappointment,  but  would 
yield  to  great  depression,  and  even  depend  on  indulging  in 
long  seasons  of  weeping  ?  A  friend,  in  whose  father's  family 
she  was  then  an  inmate,  well  recollects  that  after  she  had 
been  for  a  long  time  a  teacher,  she  one  evening  inquired 
how  long  it  would  be  before  tea.  On  being  informed,  she 
expressed  disappointment  that  it  was  to  be  so  soon.  She  was 
told  it  could  be  delayed,  if  it  would  be  an  accommodation  to 
her.  W^ith  her  accustomed  cheerfulness  she  replied,  "  O,  no ; 
I  was  only  wishing  to  have  a  good  crying  spell,  and  you 
could  not  give  me  time  enough."  She  afterwards  became 
convinced  that  such  seasons  of  weeping  were  wrong ;  and  a 
i 


38  THE    PKEPARATORY    DISCIPLIIVE. 

friend  who  occupied  the  same  room  with  her  for  months  to- 
gether, and  under  the  most  trying  circumstances,  has  known 
that  she  did  not  yield  at  all  to  depression,  or  indulge  herself 
in  the  luxury  of  a  single  tear. 

Though  the  same  strong  points  in  her  character  were  ob- 
vious through  life,  she  had  not  at  this  time  that  unity  of  object, 
or  firmness  of  purpose,  which  she  afterwards  possessed. 

She  had  naturally  strong  preferences  and  aversions,  which 
would  have  been  very  detrimental  to  her  usefulness  as  a 
teacher.  But  her  large  benevolence  enabled  her  in  a  great 
measure  to  conquer  this  defect,  and  also  to  deny  herself  and 
to  make  any  sacrifice  for  the  good  of  others.  She  was  quick 
to  discover  defects, but  slow  in  devising  remedies;  she  could 
see  that  pupils  were  wrong,  but  could  not  easily  discover 
how  they  could  be  led  to  correct  their  errors.  Indeed,  she 
was  equally  slow  in  discerning  what  elements  belong  to  a 
character  of  symmetrical  excellence.  At  this  time  it  was 
her  great  aim  to  make  fine  scholars.  Her  later  pupils  may 
be  surprised  to  learn,  that  she  would  not  have  hesitated  to 
borrow  from  the  needful  repose  of  her  scholars,  if  she  could 
but  bring  them  up  to  her  standard.  She  had  acquired  her 
own  education  by  learning  one  thing  after  another,  as  oppor- 
tunity offered,  without  any  previous  plan  or  system  ;  and  it 
is  probable  that  she  had  not  yet  marked  out  in  her  own  mind 
any  course  desirable  to  be  pursued  in  order  to  form  even  a 
well-balanced  intellectual  character. 

Some  extracts  from  Miss  Lyon's  correspondence,  scattered 
through  several  years,  will  now  be  given,  which  show  her 
affection  to  her  friends  and  relatives.  They  also  show  how 
she  walked  with  God  from  day  to  day.  They  are  not  in- 
serted as  specimens  of  literary  taste,  or  of  vigorous  thought. 
Her  energy  was  expended  on  the  minds  around  her,  and  in 
schemes  for  future  action.  When  she  unbent  after  the  day's 
labors,  she  often  refreshed  herself  by  communion  with  ab- 
sent   friends,   to    whom    she  was   accustomed,  in   personal 


SCHOOL   AT   BUCKLAND.  39 

converse,  to  open  her  heart  without  reserve.  The  repeated 
expression  of  the  same  desires,  purposes,  and  emotions,  as 
they  flowed  from  her  heart,  may  be  valued  by  those  readers 
who  wish  to  learn  the  secret  (A  her  attaining  views  of  divine 
truth,  which  were  transforming  in  their  influence  on  her  own 
character,  and  on  that  of  many  of  her  pupils  to  whom  these 
views  were  communicated. 

TO    MISS    G. 

"BucKLAND,  December  13,  1824. 

" I  ought  to  be  thankful  that  Providence  has 

so  ordered  it  that  I  do  not  spend  the  winter  at  Derry  ;  be- 
cause I  think  the  privilege  of  seeing  my  friends,  and  enjoy- 
ing more  society,  is  favorable  to  my  health  and  spirits,  and 
conducive  to  my  usefulness. 

"  E.ev.  Mr.  Clark,  the  pastor  of  this  church,  has  proposed 
my  taking  a  school  in  this  place,  if  pupils  can  be  obtained, 
and  I  have  concluded  to  do  so.  As  the  school  will  be  small, 
I  shall  not  have  to  make  exertions  that  will  injure  my  health, 
and  thus  be  detrimental  to  my  usefulness  next  summer.  I 
shall  board  with  Mr.  C,  and  feel  at  home  in  his  family." 

This  school  in  Buckland  was  the  origin  of  a  succession  of 
winter  schools  in  that  place  and  in  Ashfield.  Many  teachers 
of  the  common  schools  in  that  vicinity  availed  themselves 
of  these  advantages.  They  were  the  means  of  awakening  a 
lively  interest  in  the  cause  of  education,  and  some  efforts 
were  made  to  retain  her  permanently.  The  influence  of 
her  school  attracted  the  attention  and  secured  the  cooper- 
ation of  the  clergymen  throughout  that  region  ;  and  the  seed 
there  sown  is  now  bearing  fruit  a  hundred  fold. 

To  give  some  account  of  this  school,  and  to  show  to  young 
teachers  her  self-diflidence  at  this  period  of  her  life,  the  fol- 
lowing letter,  written  to  one  of  the  teachers  in  the  Adams 
Female  Academy,  is  copied  :  — 


40  THE    PREPARATORY    DISCIPLINE. 


TO    MISS    C. 

"BucKLANb,  February  21,  1825. 

"  My  dear  Miss  C.  : 

" My  school  here  consists  of  twenty-five 

young  ladies.  After  so  large  a  number  had  been  admitted, 
I  had  some  anxiety  respecting  it,  I  feared  that  I  might  at- 
tempt more  uniformity  about  books,  than,  considering  the 
circumstances,  would  be  expedient,  I  expected,  also,  a  cold 
winter,  and  my  design  was  to  have  the  scholars  study  in 
school.  And  as  I  possess  not  much  natural  dignity,  1  could 
foresee  my  scholars  crowding  around  the  fire,  some  whis- 
pering, some  idle,  &;c,  I  remembered  that,  several  years 
ago,  I  had  a  school  of  young  ladies  in  this  town,  in  which 
there  was  more  whispering  than  in  all  the  schools  in  which  I 
have  been  engaged  for  the  last  three  or  four  years.  The 
fault  then  was  mine,  and  I  knew  not  but  that  the  effects 
might  be  felt  even  now. 

"  I  kept  my  school  occupied  on  general  subjects  at  first, 
and  now  I  have  about  as  much  uniformity  in  books  as  we 
had  at  L.  In  teaching,  I  am  constantly  wishing  for  your  or 
Miss  G.'s  advice.  Indeed,!  sometimes  need  your  assistance 
more  than  words  can  express. 

"  At  the  commencement,  I  thought  it  best  to  assume  as 
much  artificial  dignity  as  possible ;  so,  to  begin,  I  borrowed 
Miss  Grant's  plan  to  prevent  whispering.  All,  with  one 
exception,  strictly  complied ;  and  that  was  one  of  the  first 
young  ladies  in  age  and  improvement.  It  appeared  alto- 
gether probable  that  the  termination  of  this  atfair  would  be 
a  matter  of  considerable  importance  in  relation  to  her,  her 
father's  family,  and  perhaps  to  the  school  generally.  But 
after  I  had  passed  a  few  almost  sleepless  nights  about  it,  a 
kind  Providence  directed  the  result  in  a  manner  -which 
seemed  the  best  calculated  to  promote  the  interests  of  the 
school ;  for  at  length  she  came  cheerfully  into  the  ar- 
rangement. 


TRIALS    IN    THE    BTJCKLAND    SCHOOL.  41 

"A  circumstance,  in  relation  to  the  first  set  of  composi- 
tions, was  somewhat  trying.  One  pupil  refused  entirely  to 
write  ;  but  I  was  assisted  in  leading  her  to  comply  with  the 
requirement.  Some  other  things  I  could  mention.  Suffice 
it  to  say,  that  I  have  had  just  enough  of  such  things  to  give 
me  continual  anxiety  ;  but  God,  in  his  providence,  has  been 
very  kind  to  me.  Many  events  have  terminated  as  I  desired, 
when  it  seemed  not  at  all  in  my  power  to  control  them. 
Perhaps  I  have  generally  been  able  to  accomplish  about 
what  I  have  undertaken.  My  school,  in  many  respects,  is 
very  pleasant.  I  have  but  two  or  three  pupils  under  sixteen 
years  of  age.  With  the  exception  of  two  or  three,  they  are 
very  studious.  On  the  whole,  I  think  it  the  best  school  I 
ever  had  ;  the  best,  because  the  most  profitable  to  its  mem- 
bers ;  I  do  not  mean  the  best  in  which  I  have  been  engaged. 
I  have  an  opportunity  this  winter  to  see  the  value  of  what  I 
gained  at  Derry. 

"  I  hope,  my  dear  sister,  you  live  near  your  Savior,  while 
I  am  far  from  him,  and  walk  on  in  darkness.  I  hope  you 
enjoy  the  light  of  his  countenance,  and  rejoice  in  the  God  of 
your  salvation.  I  do  not  think  it  favorable  to  piety  to  have 
so  much  anxiety  as  I  have  had  this  winter ;  but  I  would  not 
attribute  my  coldness  to  any  outward  circumstances  ;  I 
would  rather  fear  that  I  have  never  known  the  love  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

After  the  close  of  her  school  in  Buckland,  she  went  to 
Troy,  N.  Y.,  and  passed  her  vacation  in  the  family  of  Pro- 
fessor Eaton,  from  which  place  she  wrote  to  Miss  Grant. 

'April  1,  1825. 

"  I  wrote  to  Professor  E.,  stating  my  general  success  and 

difficulties  in  experiments  in  chemistry,  last  summer.     He 

returned  an  answer,  generously  inviting  me  to  his  house,  and 

saying  that  I  should  do  well  to  come  to  Troy,  even  if  I  could 

4* 


42  THE    PREPARATORY   DISCIPLINE. 

stay  only  two  or  three  weeks,  as  he  could  tell  me  many 
things  during  that  time  which  would  be  useful  to  me.  At 
first,  I  thought  it  would  be  altogether  impracticable.  I  had 
just  closed  my  school,  and  wished  to  spend  some  time  with 
my  friends ;  but  I  remembered  well  the  difficulties  attending 
some  of  my  experiments  last  summer,  and  thought  it  possi- 
ble that  further  instruction  might  aid  me  sufficiently  to  com- 
pensate for  the  fatigue  and  the  expense  of  the  journey.  I 
thought  my  personal  gratification  seemed  to  require  that  I 
should  stay  with  my  friends,  but  my  duty  to  the  school  at 
Derry  might  require  that  I  should  leave  them,  not  to  see 
them  again  until  next  fall.  At  length,  after  suffering  some 
trials  in  my  feelings  on  this  subject,  I  decided  in  the  affirma- 
tive ;  and  accordingly  I  packed  up  all,  as  soon  as  possible, 
and  arrived  here  this  morning. 

"  I  shall  attend  what  lectures  are  given  to  the  Rensselaer 
school,  while  I  am  here,  —  principally  in  chemistry  and  nat- 
ural philosophy.  I  shall  endeavor  to  review  the  most  diffi- 
cult and  most  important  principles  of  chemistry,  in  order  to 
avail  myself  of  the  opportunity  to  gain  the  information  which 
I  need.     I  do  not  intend  to  study  hard." 

TO    HER    MOTHER. 
*'  '•  Londonderry,  September  7,  1825. 

"  Since  I  last  wrote  you,  we  have  been  afflicted  by  the  sick- 
ness of  Miss  Grant  She  has  had  a  regular  course  of  bilious 
fever.  She  is  now  gaining  slowly  ;  but  I  fear  the  effects  on 
her  feeble  constitution  will  remain  a  considerable  time. 
The  suspension  of  her  labors  greatly  multiplies  our  cares 
and  anxieties ;  but  we  have  reason  to  be  thankful  that  we 
have  been  able  to  consult  her  every  day.  I  have  been  so 
well  that  I  could  do  more,  with  the  same  effort  and  the  same 
fatigue,  since  Miss  G.  has  been  sick,  than  at  any  other  time. 

"  Our  school  continues  prosperous  and  pleasant.  We  had 
one  hundred  scholars  the  first  term  ;  now  we  have  ninety-two. 


LETTER    TO    HER    MOTHER.  43 

"  We  need  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  more  than  any 
other  blessing.  Most  of  our  scholars  are  probably  without 
hope  and  without  God  in  the  world.  We  have  here  the 
children  of  many  pious  parents,  whose  prayers  are  daily 
offered  up  for  them  and  us  ;  we  also  have  the  prayers  of  many 
others.  Several  mothers,  who  have  daughters  here,  devote 
a  little  time  every  Wednesday  morning,  between  eight  and 
nine  o'clock,  to  supplicate  the  influence  of  the  Spirit  on  this 
institution.  Will  not  you,  my  mother,  sometimes  think  of 
us  at  that  hour  ?     May  we  not  hope  for  a  blessing  ?  " 

TO    THE    SAME. 

"  September  25,  1825. 

" I  have  thought  much  more  of  you  than 

usual,  for  a  week  or  two  past.  Although  my  situation  is 
necessarily  rather  different  from  what  it  was  in  childhood, 
yet  you  will  not  suppose  that  on  this  account  I  love  my 
friends  less.  I  sincerely  desire  that  I  may  ever  be  saved 
from  neglecting  my  early  fi'iends,  especially  my  mother,  to 
whom  I  am  more  indebted  than  to  all  others,  except  my 
Maker.  When  I  think  of  my  mother,  I  think  of  one  who 
ardently  and  unceasingly  desires  my  temporal  and  spiritual 
welfare  ;  one  to  whom  I  owe  much  that  I  can  never  repay  ; 
one  who  never  forgets  me,  and  never  forgets  that  I  have  an 
immortal  soul ;  one  the  benefit  of  whose  prayers  I  have  long 
enjoyed,  and  whose  desires,  I  trust,  are  now  every  day  as- 
cending to  the  throne  of  mercy  in  my  behalf. 

"  I  have  thought  considerably  this  day  of  the  importance  of 
being  prepared  to  do  the  will  of  my  heavenly  Parent.  What 
is  more  desirable  than  to  have  the  privilege  of  doing  those 
things  which  are  well  pleasing  to  God  ;  to  have  such  a  frame 
of  mind,  that  the  habitual  and  uniform  desire  of  the  heart 
shall  be,  '  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do\? '  But  I  find 
a  strange  propensity  to  desire  ardently  those  things  which 
would  seem  to  be  a  peculiar  gratification  to  myself.    I  would 


44  THE    PREPARATOKY    DISCIPLINE. 

desire  to  have  such  a  frame  of  mind  that  I  might  be  evei 
ready  to  say,  '  Not  my  will,  but  thine,  be  done.'  I  would 
not  desire  any  thing  that  would  not  be  for  the  glory  of  God, 
and  in  accordance  with  the  will  of  my  Savior.  Sometimes 
.1  almost  feel  that  I  am  not  my  own,  but  I  find  my  heart 
repeatedly  desiring  those  things  from  which  I  had  almost 
supposed  it  was  forever  separated. 

"  It  seems  as  if  you  could  not  be  so  anxious  to  receive  let- 
ters from  me  as  I  am  to  hear  from  my  friends.  Although 
my  situation  is  far  from  being  unpleasant,  yet  there  is  a  kind 
of  loneliness  which  is  ever  ready  to  oppress  my  spirits. 
You  will  remember,  however,  that  we  have  now  our  cold, 
equinoctial  storm.  When  this  is  over,  much  of  the  present 
gloom  will  be  dispersed,  and  all  our  spirits  will  be  more 
cheerful." 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"BuCKLAND,  December  26,  1825. 
"  My  school  is  larger  than  I  expected,  having  about  fifty 
scholars. 

"  My  heart  is  pained  to  see  so  much  important  unaccom- 
plished labor  accumulating  on  my  hands,  and  I  have  engaged 
an  assistant. 

"  At  present,  there  is  a  little  more  than  usual  religious  atten- 
tion in  this  town.  The  friends  of  Zion  are  hoping  that  the 
Lord  is  about  to  visit  us.  This  circumstance  produces  in  my 
mind  some  hopes  and  some  fears.  It  adds,  if  possible,  to 
my  responsibility.  The  thought  that  some,  who  were  begin- 
ning to  think  about  their  eternal  interests,  may  here  become 
so  much  absorbed  in  their  studies,  so  much  interested  in  the 
business  of  the  school,  as  to  exclude  God  from  their  hearts, 
is  truly  painful.  I  hope  I  may  not  be  the  instrument  of  hard- 
ening the  hearts  of  those  whom  I  tenderly  love.  My  pupils 
appear  very  attentive  to  religious  truth.  Some  are  thought- 
ful, though  I  have  no  evidence  that  any  are   particularly 


LETTER   TO    MISS   GKANT.  46 

serious,  except  those  who  profess  to  love  the  Savior,  Two 
or  three  of  the  latter  appear  very  well.  That  heart  must  be 
insensible,  which  could  not  feel  on  observing  the  general 
attention  manifest  when  a  sermon  is  reviewed,  a  Bible  lesson 
recited,  or  any  religious  subject  brought  forward.  Perhaps 
the  Lord  may  visit  us  with  his  grace.  In  him  is  all 
our  hope. 

"  For  a  long  time,  I  have  at  intervals  been  anxious  about 
my  own  state  of  mind.  I  have  felt  that,  if  I  were  ardently 
attached  to  the  Savior,  my  desires  to  honor  him  would  be 
more  uniform  and  uninterrupted.  I  have  hoped  that  the 
Lord  would  direct  to  means  which  would  effectually  move 
my  soul,  so  that  I  could  no  longer  sleep  when  reflecting  on 
the  cause  of  our  dear  Redeemer.  I  have  thought  that  pos- 
sibly Providence  had  brought  me  to  this  place  for  good,  that 
this  season  might  be  profitable  to  my  soul.  But  let  me  not 
depend  on  any  means ;  let  me  depend  on  nothing  short  of 
God.  I  know,  my  dear  friend,  that  you  will  pray  for  me. 
Pray  that  I  may  be  altogether  devoted  to  the  Savior,  that  I 
may  ever  do  his  will,  ever  honor  his  name. 

"  Fourteen  of  my  scholars  board  in  the  family  with  me. 
Before  I  came  here,  and  for  the  first  week  after,  I  had  much 
anxiety  about  the  arrangements  for  these  young  ladies.  We 
have  finally  become  settled,  so  that  every  thing  seems  to  go 
on  well.  The  members  of  the  school  in  the  family  have  a 
table  by  themselves.  As  I  was  well  aware  that  it  would 
require  more  than  an  ordinary  share  of  dignity  to  prevent 
too  much,  if  not  improper,  conversation  at  meals,  I  thought 
it  the  safest  to  introduce  some  entertaining  exercise.  This 
requires  an  effort,  on  my  part,  which  I  had  scarcely  realized. 
But  I  find  it  pleasant  indeed.  I  frequently  think, '  How  could 
Miss  G.  take  care  of  so  many  last  summer  }  '  But  I  recol- 
lect hearing  you  say  that  your  first  schools  were  as  much 
your  all,  as  your  one  hundred  pupils  at  Derry. 

"  My  spirits  have  been  unusually  uniform  for  four  weeks. 


46  THE    PREPARATORY   DISCIPLINE. 

I  do  not  recollect  an  hour  of  depression.  I  consider  this  a 
blessing  for  which  I  ought  to  be  thankful." 

TO    MRS.    A.    "W.    F. 

"BccKLAXD,  February  20,  1826. 

*' I  can  scarcely  believe  I  have  written  you 

so  seldom  since  you  have  been  away.  The  truth  is,  for  two 
years  past,  my  time  has  been  so  constantly  occupied  that  I 
now  understand  what  you  mean,  when  you  say  that  it  is 
almost  necessary  to  blind  the  eyes  and  harden  the  feelings 
against  present  and  urgent  calls,  and  calmly  sit  down  to 
write  letters  of  friendship.  Besides,  every  thing  which  I 
could  write,  you  will  receive  from  other  sources. 

"  Your  sister  H.  assists  me,  and  we  have  a  pleasant  school 
of  about  fifty  members.  I  enjoy  so  much  that  I  sometimes 
almost  fear  lest  I  may  have  all  my  good  things  in  this  life. 
We  have  eleven  in  our  school  professedly  pious,  and  some 
of  them  appear  very  well.  Some  others  are  particularly 
attentive  to  religious  truth.  There  is  more  religious  atten- 
tion in  this  town  at  present  than  usual.  I  have  had  a  faint 
hope,  through  the  winter,  that  this  town  and  my  school 
might  be  visited  by  the  special  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit." 

The  hopes  expressed  in  the  foregoing  letters  were  real- 
ized, and  several  under  her  care  there  commenced  a  reli- 
gious life. 

TO    HER    MOTHER. 

"  LoxDONDEKKT,  May  20,  1826. 

" I  hope  my  friends  will  remember  that  I 

am  interested  in  little  things.  It  does  my  heart  good  to  read 
a  page  filled  with  home,  friends,  and  acquaintance.  Especial- 
ly am  I  interested  in  all  that  I  can  learn  about  my  dear 
pupils,  or,  rather,  those  whom  I  called  such  last  winter.  My 
attachment  to  that  school  and  to  that  spot  I  cannot  well 
describe.     I  delight  to  dwell  on  some  of  the  last  weeke  of 


LETTER   TO    HER    MOTHER.  47 

that  term.  Those  days  must  be  numbered  with  the  most 
precious  of  my  life  ;  and  sometimes  I  can  scarcely  believe 
that  all  of  those  scenes  were  real. 

"  I  do  not  number  it  among  the  least  of  my  blessings  that 
I  am  permitted  to  do  something.  Surely  I  ought  to  be  thank- 
ful for  an  active  life.  I  hope,  however,  not  to  be  so  attached 
to  activity,  that,  if  health  should  be  taken  away,  all  my  en- 
joyment would  be  gone.  I  would  rather  so  enjoy  present 
favors,  as  coming  from  the  hand  of  God,  that,  should  the 
streams  hereafter  be  cut  off,  the  fountain  might  remain  to 
me  a  never-failing  source  of  enjoyment.  I  would  desire 
ever  to  acquiesce  in  all  the  dispensations  of  Providence.  I 
would  fain  have  it  my  first  desire  to  do  those  things  which 
are  well  pleasing  in  the  sight  of  God  ;  and  I  believe  I  may 
safely  leave  all  futurity  in  his  hands.  For  this,  my  dear 
mother,  I  hope  I  have  your  daily  prayers. 

"  We  have  a  pleasant  school  of  ninety  pupils,  thirty-nine 
of  whom  have  been  with  us  before  the  present  year.  They 
are  very  attentive  and  studious.  Only  a  small  proportion  pro- 
fess religion,  or  hope  they  are  Christians.  Nearly  eighty  are 
probably  living  without  God  in  the  world.  At  this  period, 
when  so  many  spiritual  blessings  are  bestowed  on  literary 
institutions,  may  we  not  hope  that  ours  will  be  among  the 
favored  number  ?  Many  Christians,  parents  and  others, 
have  been  interested  for  this  institution.  We  hope  their 
prayers  will  be  answered. 

"  The  young  ladies  are  so  very  attentive  to  Bible  lessons, 
that  I  sometimes  hope  there  are  good  things  in  store  for  us ; 
but  my  own  heart  is  so  cold  I  have  reason  to  fear.  Surely 
there  is  no  hope  but  in  the  mercy  of  God.  Do  pray  for  us, 
and  especially  that  I  may  have  a  heart  to  seek  the  favor 
of  God. 

"  The  intelligence  which  we  receive  of  the  work  of  grace 
in  Dartmouth  College  is  refreshing.  I  hope  the  students 
from  Ashfield  share  in  the  work." 


48  THE    PREPARATORY   BISCIPLINE. 

TO    HER    SISTER    F. 

"  LoNDONDEEKT,  July  4,   1826. 

"  This  day,  you  will  recollect,  completes  half  a  century 
since  the  Declaration  of  our  Independence.  How  interesting 
must  be  the  reflections  of  those  few  who  can  remember  that 
eventful  day !  And  to  every  one,  the  events  in  our  history 
must  be  an  exciting  theme.  Who,  on  the  face  of  the  earth, 
fifty  years  ago,  could  have  anticipated  such  results  ?  It  is 
true  that  Washington,  and  almost  all  Americans  who  lived 
in  the  days  of  Washington,  hoped  for  independence.  But 
did  they  look  forward  to  this  time,  and  anticipate  such  a  na- 
tion as  this .?  Must  not  all  believe  that  'promotion  cometh 
neither  from  the  east,  nor  from  the  west,  nor  from  the  south ; 
but  God  is  the  judge ;  he  putteth  down  one,  and  setteth  up 
another '  ?  Must  not  all  exclaim, '  This  is  the  finger  of  God  ' .'' 
We  wonder  why  we  are  made  to  differ  from  others.  Per- 
haps that  same  Being,  that  could  with  a  glance  look  through 
the  course  of  the  Israelitish  nation,  from  the  selling  of  Jo- 
seph to  the  coming  of  the  Messiah,  has  designs  of  mercy 
on  all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  through  the  unparalleled 
blessings  which  he  has  bestowed  on  this  great  people.  And 
have  not  his  dealings  with  our  beloved  country  some  con- 
nection with  the  causes  which  will  bring  forward  that  happy 
day,  to  which  all  who  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  are  looking 
with  earnest  prayer  ? 

"  Considerable  attention  has  been  devoted  to  the  celebration 
of  the  anniversary  in  this  place  ;  consequently  we  have  not 
been  able  to  continue  the  usual  exercises  of  the  school.  We 
have  had  some  anxiety  for  our  young  ladies,  as  the  scenes 
of  the  day  would,  of  course,  be  rather  exhilarating.  Per- 
haps you  will  wonder  why  there  should  be  this  anxiety.  I 
will  tell  you,  my  sister.  We  believe  the  Holy  Spirit  is  now 
with  us  by  his  special  operations.  It  is  now  a  very  critical 
period.     I  think  the  school  is  in  such  a  state  as  ours  was  last 


LETTERS   TO    HER   SISTER   F.  49 

winter,  about  three  weeks  before  its  close.  Seven  or  eight 
give  more  or  less  evidence  of  a  change  of  heart.  A  few  at 
the  present  time  are  deeply  affected.  Several  others  are  in 
some  degree  solicitous,  and  perhaps  nearly  half  the  school 
occasionally  inquire  with  interest  what  these  things  mean. 
This  school  is  very  different  from  our  school  last  winter. 
We  have  about  ninety  pupils,  of  a  great  variety  of  character, 
A  large  number,  we  have  no  doubt,  are  yet  thoughtless. 
Throughout  the  school,  however,  there  is  a  propriety  of  con- 
duct, and  an  interest  in  Scripture  recitations ;  and  when  I 
look  on  their  state,  it  seems  as  if  '  the  fields  were  white 
already  to  the  harvest,'  " 

TO    HER   SISTER    F. 

"  LONDONDEERT,  Julj  30,  1826. 

"  I  seem  to  hear  you  anxiously  inquiring  about  our  school. 
The  showers  of  divine  grace  continued  to  descend  after  I 
wrote  you,  even  to  the  close  of  the  term.  But  to  give  you  a 
just  account  of  the  work  would  be  difficult.  If  you  will  look 
back  to  our  school  last  winter,  you  will  have  a  more  correct 
view  of  our  state  than  I  can  give  you  ;  as  the  scenes  of  a 
few  weeks  past  have  brought  that  season  vividly  before  my 
mind.  The  attention  cannot  be  considered  so  general  here 
as  it  was  in  my  school  near  its  close  last  winter.  This 
might  naturally  be  expected  in  a  school  like  this,  where  there 
is  such  a  variety  of  character  in  the  young  ladies.  Their 
habits,  education,  views,  feelings,  and  principles  are  so  en- 
tirely different,  that  it  is  to  be  expected  that  there  will  be  a 
great  number  who  will  feel  that  it  is  all  an  idle  tale  ;  a  great 
number  who  will  have  it  in  their  hearts  to  ridicule,  could 
they  but  find  a  favorable  opportunity.  I  have  no  doubt  that 
many  left  the  school  as  thoughtless  as  when  they  entered. 
This  painful  conviction  forces  itself  on  our  hearts.  But  on 
the  other  hand,  we  are  encouraged.  We  have  decisive 
5 


50  THE    PKEPARATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

evidence  that  the  Spirit  of  God  has  been  present  with  us. 
The  hearts  of  several  have  apparently  been  humbled  ;  hearts 
which  the  power  of  man  could  never  have  softened.  When 
our  term  closed,  about  twenty  had  expressed  hope ;  a  few 
were  anxious,  while  others  were  just  beginning  to  ask  their 
own  hearts  whether  these  things  concerned  themselves.  In 
this  state  of  things  our  pupils  dispersed  ;  and  what  will  be  the 
result  we  know  not.  Revivals  in  seminaries  of  learning 
generally  terminate  with  the  commencement  of  vacation. 
Yet  there  are  some  exceptions,  and  we  do  hope  that  our  case 
will  be  one  of  these  exceptions.  For  this,  I  believe  many  of 
our  Christian  friends  are  praying ;  and  we  hope  their  prayers 
may  be  heard  and  answered.  Should  the  Spirit  leave  us 
now,  it  would  be  mournful  indeed.  Much  the  largest  part 
of  our  school  are  still  without  God.  At  the  commencement 
of  the  term,  eleven  indulged  a  hope  that  they  loved  the 
Savior,  though  they  were  not  all  professors ;  add  to  these 
the  new  plants,  some  of  which,  we  trust,  will  bear  fruit,  and 
you  will  see  how  many  are  left  in  the  gall  of  bitterness  and 
in  the  bonds  of  iniquity. 

"  Do  write  to  me  immediately,  and  tell  me  all  I  want  to 
know.  Give  a  great  deal  of  love  to  our  dear  mother, 
brothers,  sisters,  nephews,  nieces,  and  all  my  friends." 

During  the  next  term,  the  religious  interest  was  deep  and 
extensive  ;  but  there  is  no  record  of  the  number  who  received 
the  truth  in  love. 

TO    HER    SISTER    F.  * 

"  LONDONDEEEY,  October  25,  1826. 
"  We  have  a  pleasant  school,  this  term,  of  about  eighty 
scholars.  You  can  understand  the  happy  effects  of  a  system 
so  long  continued.  I  can  see  that  the  same  labor  accom- 
plishes more  than  when  I  first  came  here.  At  present,  I  am 
deeply  absorbed  in  grammar  and  arithmetic.     We  are  con- 


MONITORIAL    EXERCISES.  51 

ducting  both  the  exercises  on  the  monitorial  plan.  Grammar 
for  this  quarter  has  just  commenced.  Between  forty  and  fifty 
now  recite  at  the  same  time  on  this  plan.  We  shall  occupy 
about  an  hour  in  the  recitation.  I  shall  devote  my  time  as  I 
commonly  do,  when  we  have  recitations  in  this  way.  We 
have  regular  monitors  appointed  for  grammar  from  the  senior 
class.  These  monitors  study  their  lessons  ;  and  for  the  pres- 
ent, I  shall  devote  about  half  an  hour  to  them  out  of  school. 
We  have  been  attending  to  Adams's  Arithmetic  on  the  mon- 
itorial plan  for  a  long  time,  with  usual,  or  rather  increasing 
success.  We  shall  very  soon  lay  it  aside  for  the  season. 
Between  fifty  and  sixty  have  attended  this  exercise  together, 
comprising  all  the  regular  classes  except  the  senior  class ; 
and,  indeed,  most  of  this  class  have  been  engaged  all  the  time 
as  monitors.  We  have  adopted  the  plan  of  having  a  regular 
monitor  for  every  section,  consisting  of  from  five  to  twelve, 
according  to  the  capacity  of  the  monitors  and  of  the  students. 
Last  spring,  the  school  all  attended  to  Colburn's  Arithmetic. 
About  a  week  since,  seventy  commenced  a  review.  To  this 
we  devote  an  hour  in  school,  our  usual  time  for  a  recitation. 
As  they  are  nearly  together  at  present,  I  spend  about  half 
the  time  in  asking  questions  to  the  whole,  and  then  they  are 
arranged  in  small  monitorial  classes.  I  pass  from  one  class 
to  another,  assisting  the  monitors  or  listening  to  the  recita- 
tions, as  the  case  may  require.  This  exercise  is  very  pleas- 
ant. It  is  highly  animating  to  observe  seventy  pupils,  with 
the  attention  of  all  fixed  on  the  same  point  at  the  same  mo- 
ment. I  am  fully  persuaded  that  this  is  one  of  the  best 
exercises  to  call  and  fix  the  attention  of  a  great  number. 
You  see,  I  tell  what  I  am  doing,  and  let  the  rest  go.  As 
I  have  begun  to  be  so  egotistical,  I  will  just  say,  that  I 
have  had  a  most  delightful  time  in  teaching  Whelpiey's  His- 
tory :  we  finished  it  a  few  weeks  since.  Part  of  the  time, 
three  classes  attended  together,  making  between  thirty  and 
forty.     I  had  some  anxiety  about  undertaking  with  so  large 


52  THE   PKEPAEATOKY   DISCIPLINE. 

a  class  ;  but  the  young  ladies  took  up  the  study  with  so  much 
interest  and  resolution,  that  I  found  it  more  pleasant  than  a 
smaller  class,  and  perhaps  equally  profitable  to  them. 

"  The  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  on  schools  is  indeed  a 
great  blessing.  It  should  call  forth  the  gratitude  of  Chris- 
tians, that  this  blessing  is  more  frequently  and  abundantly 
bestowed  than  in  former  days.  I  trust  you  will  not  forget 
my  anticipated  charge  for  next  winter,  in  Sanderson  Acad- 
emy, and  that  you  will  pray  that  we  may  there  receive  a 
refreshing  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord.  The  school  com- 
mences December  13.  About  the  20th  of  next  month  you 
may  expect  me. 

"  Give  a  great  deal  of  love  to  my  mother.  I  want  she 
should  share  largely  in  this  hasty  letter." 

TO    MISS    G. 

"  AsHFiELD,  February  28,  1827. 

" We  have  about  fifty  pupils.     I  find  no 

difficulty  in  introducing  the  monitorial  system.  Pupils,  par- 
ents, patrons,  and  trustees  are  all  pleased  with  it.  Many  of 
my  acquaintances  in  this  region  have  requested  permission 
to  spend  a  half  day  in  school,  and  witness  the  common  exer- 
cises ;  and  recollecting  the  readiness  with  which  I  was  re- 
ceived into  the  schools  in  Boston,  I  could  not  well  refuse.  I 
believe  it  is  the  general  opinion  that  the  school  this  winter  is 
better  than  it  was  last,  and  this  is  undoubtedly  on  account  of 
the  more  systematic  plan  of  mutual  instruction.  We  have 
most  of  our  exercises  much  shorter  than  we  had  them  last 
winter,  and  more  of  them.  In  grammar,  instead  of  one  long 
recitation,  we  have  two  short  ones  in  a  day,  on  the  same 
lesson ;  one  to  myself,  the  other  to  monitors.  My  recita- 
tion is  taken  up  principally  in  general  questions  and  remarks, 
and  then  I  leave  it  to  monitors  the  next  half  hour.  In 
all  my  attempts  to  teach  grammar,  I  think  I  can  safely  say 


LETTERS    TO    MISS   GRANT.  53 

that  I  never  saw  so  much  lively  interest  on  the  subject,  among 
so  many,  as  I  now  see  from  day  to  day.  I  have  no  difficulty 
in  obtaining  skilful  and  suitable  monitors  ;  there  are  so  many 
pupils  of  judgment  and  discretion,  who  have  either  taught 
school,  or  are  prepared  to  teach  to  good  advantage. 

"  Colonel  Leavitt,  of  Heath,  is  now  here,  designing  to 
spend  two  or  three  days  with  a  view  of  seeing  the  school. 
I  am  told  that  no  man  in  the  county  has  devoted  so  much 
time  to  common  schools  as  he.  Indeed,  he  has  spent  al- 
most the  whole  winter  in  this  way. 

"  I  have  a  pleasant  school ;  but  one  thing  is  wanting,  and 
when  I  think  of  this,  my  heart  is  sad.  Amidst  all  my  bless- 
ings, I  feel  that  the  frown  of  God  rests  upon  me.  Pray  for 
me  and  for  my  dear  pupils." 

TO   MISS  G. 

"AsHFiELD,  March  13,  1827. 
" I  must  confess,  were  it  not  for  my  per- 
sonal attachment  to  yourself,  I  believe  I  should  feel  an  increas- 
ing inducement  to  devote  my  labors  to  the  youth  of  my  native 
hills ;  but  as  it  is,  I  am  not  inclined  in  the  least  to  give  any 
encouragement  of  teaching  here  in  the  summer,  before  I 
shall  have  again  seen  you.  There  is  an  increasing  interest 
on  the  subject  of  education  in  this  vicinity.  Indeed,  there 
seems  to  be  an  enlivened,  if  not  a  new  spirit  extending  itself 
respecting  schools.  The  number  prepared  to  teach  is  much 
greater  this  winter  than  last ;  and  the  demand  from  our  com- 
mon schools  is  so  urgent,  that  I  feel  it  to  be  a  duty  to  en- 
deavor to  do  something,  at  least  one  winter  more.  I  have 
therefore  made  engagements  to  return  here  next  autumn." 

TO    HER    SISTER    F. 

"Deret,  August  22,  1827. 

" I  love  Miss  G.'s  society  more  than  ever, 

and  I  believe  we  may  love  our  friends  very  ardently,  and 
5* 


54  THE    PREPARATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

ove  them  according  to  the  principles  and  spirit  of  the  gos- 
pel. I  also  think  we  may  love  them  in  a  manner  displeasing 
in  the  sight  of  God.  May  I  love  in  that  manner  which  God 
will  approve.  I  have  been  interested  in  the  lovely  and  per- 
fect example  of  Jesus  Christ.  Though  he  loved  all  his  own, 
as.  the  world  loveth  not,  and  though  he  laid  down  his  life  for 
his  enemies,  yet,  as  a  rnan,  we  have  reason  to  think  he  ac- 
knowledged some  as  his  particular  friends.  It  is  said,  em- 
phatically, that  Jesus  loved  Martha,  and  her  sister,  and 
Lazarus  ;  and  among  the  twelve  was  found  '  that  disciple 
whom  Jesus  loved.' 

"  My  health  is  very  good.  I  believe  I  have  had  more 
vigor  of  body  and  mind  than  usual,  this  summer." 

When  Miss  Lyon  left  Derry,  in  the  autumn  of  1827,  the 
question  was  then  pending,  whether  the  plan  commenced  in 
the  Adams  Female  Academy  should  be  carried  on  there, 
or  in  some  other  place. 

After  reaching  Ashfield,  she  writes 

TO    MISS   G. 

"Ashfield,  November  26,  1827. 

" I  do  ardently  desire  to  continue  with  you,  if 

I  can  be  useful ;  even  though  trials  should  beset  us  behind  and 
before,  on  the  right  and  on  the  left.  My  own  trials  from  with- 
out have  seemed  to  decrease  with  my  distance  from  D.,  while 
the  privilege  of  being  with  my  dearest  earthly  friend  has 
increased  in  my  estimation.  If  I  am  ever  permanently  sep- 
arated from  you,  I  hope  it  will  be  by  slow  and  cautious  steps  ; 
and  that  I  shall  have  clear  evidence  that  I  am  deprived  of 
this  precious  blessing  by  a  direct  dispensation  of  Providence. 

"  I  have  spent  this  evening  in  company  with  Mr.  S.,  from 
Connecticut,  a  graduate  of  Williams  College.  He  men- 
tioned being  acquainted  with  you,  and  the  interest  with  which 
he  should  always  remember  some  religious  conversation  you 


LETTERS  TO  MISS  GKANT.  55 

once  had  with  him.  I  thought  you  would  say  it  was  char- 
acteristic of  me,  if  I  should  tell  you  how  readily  I  said  to 
myself,  '  Had  it  not  been  for  that  conversation,  perhaps  there 
had  been  one  less  servant  of  the  Lord,  and  perhaps  one  less 
minister  of  the  gospel.'  You  will  be  willing  that  I  should 
enjoy  your  doing  good,  if  I  don't  say  much  about  it." 

TO    MISS    G. 

"AsHFiELD,  December  10,  1827. 

" I  ought  to  be  humbled  in  view  of  my  own 

ignorance,  and  to  be  led  to  depend  more  entirely  on  God.  I 
know  that  I  have  been  earthly  and  grovelling  in  my  desires, 
that  I  have  been  far  from  the  fountain  of  life,  and  that  I  have 
been  inclined  to  trust  the  creature  more  than  the  Creator. 
Since  I  received  your  letter,  I  have  deeply  felt  that  I  needed 
a  heart  conformed  to  the  will  of  God,  that  I  should  place  my 
affections  on  things  above,  and  not  on  things  on  the  earth  ; 
and  I  believe  that  my  distance  from  the  fountain  of  all  con- 
solation does  not  seem  quite  so  great. 

"  If  I  should  try  to  tell  you  how  much  I  sympathize  with 
you  in  your  trials,  how  my  heart  bleeds  when  I  think  of  you, 
and  how  I  want  to  be  with  you,  and  share  in  your  daily  sor- 
rows and  joys,  the  attempt  would  be  altogether  in  vain.  I 
know  I  can  do  nothing  but  commit  you  to  God.  May  I  have 
a  heart  to  do  this  daily.  May  I  remember  you  as  Paul  did 
the  Romans,  (Rom.  i.  9.) 

"  It  is  a  sweet  relief  to  my  mind  that  you  have  a  Fathef 
in  heaven,  and  I  do  believe  that  all  things  will  work  together 
for  your  good,  though  the  way  in  which  this  is  to  be  effected 
may  seem  to  us  very  undesirable.  You  may  not  be  saved 
from  trials,  but  I  do  believe  you  will  be  supported  under 
them ;  and,  after  all,  I  trust  you  will  find  more  enjoyment 
even  in  the  present  life  than  the  worldling,  who  has  no 
such  support. 


56  THE    PREPARATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

"  When  you  supplicate  the  throne  of  mercy  in  my  behalf, 
pray  that  I  may  love  my  dearest  friends  according  to  the 
spirit  and  precepts  of  the  gospel ;  that  I  may  so  regard  and 
improve  my  most  precious  blessings,  that  it  shall  not  be 
necessary  to  take  them  from  me,  and  that  I  may  be  like 
Him  who,  when  on  earth,  was  holy,  harmless,  and  undefiled. 
You  know  I  am  prone  to  be  earthly,  and  that  I  need  the 
grace  of  God." 

TO    MISS    G. 

"AsHFiELD,  December  26,  1827 

" I  fear  that  I  ask  more  for  you  that  is 

temporal  than  I  do  that  is  spiritual.  I  have  been  led  to  in- 
quire whether  it  is  not  very  common  for  my  prayers  to  cen- 
tre on  blessings  which  may  end  with  this  life.  Three  things 
I  desire  for  you  daily  without  an  effort ;  and  for  these  I  have 
daily  supplicated  the  Father  of  mercies ;  that  you  may 
have  wisdom  from  above  to  direct  you  to  the  best  measures ; 
that  you  may  daily  trust  in  your  Almighty  Friend,  and  in 
him  find  immediate  and  continual  support  in  every  time  of 
need  ;  and  that  you  may  be  saved  from  overwhelming  trials. 

"  If  you  should  leave  D.,  my  feelings  and  desires  are  all 
in  favor  of  engaging  with  you  summers.  If,  however.  Prov- 
idence should  so  direct  that  you  should  think  it  not  my  duty 
to  be  with  you,  probably  a  field  of  labor  would  be  opened  in 
this  region.  But  I  do  not  purpose  to  make  any  provision, 
even  in  my  mind,  for  suvimers,  at  present ;  for  I  do  not  mean 
to  be  reconciled  to  parting  with  you,  unless  I  see  that  I  must. 
About  the  winter  I  am  not  so  confident.  When  I  reflect,  I 
can  see  that  I  have  gone  on  here,  from  winter  to  winter,  in  a 
regular  and  advancing  course  ;  and  in  scarcely  any  sphere 
can  I  expect  to  be  so  useful.  I  ought  not  wholly  to  give  up 
this  field  without  consideration  ;  but  I  entreat  you  not  to  act 
on  the  idea  that  I  cannot  be  with  you  winters. 

"  We  have,  between  forty  and  fifty  pupils  in  school,  and 
more  are  expected." 


LETTERS   TO   MISS   GRANT.  57 

TO   MISS   G. 

"AsHFiELD,  December  28,  1827. 

" The  care  I  had  at  Derry  of  the  conduct 

of  two  troublesome  pupils  in  my  classes  caused  me  more 
anxiety  than  my  whole  school  this  winter.  But  our  school  is 
uncommonly  good,  in  this  respect,  even  for  this  place.  It  is 
several  degrees  better  than  my  school  last  winter.  I  must 
confess  that  I  have  a  strong  partiality  for  pupils  in  this  re- 
gion ;  they  are  so  easily  guided.  I  ought  to  be  very  thankful 
that  I  have  such  a  school,  when  in  feebleness  I  must  go  on, 
without  my  best  friend  to  advise,  counsel,  and  comfort  me." 

TO    THE    SAME. 

"AsHFiELD,  January  6,  1828. 

"  For  some  time  I  have  been  endeavoring  to  examine  my 
past  life.  The  review  is  sad  and  mournful.  It  is  now  the 
twelfth  year  since  the  thought  first  entered  my  mind  —  '  Can 
these  be  the  feelings  of  an  unregenerate  heart  ?  '  I  remem- 
ber the  moment  as  well  as  if  it  were  but  yesterday ;  but 
since  then  there  has  been  a  period  of  clouds  and  thick  dark- 
ness. What  an  immense  loss  I  must  suffer  through  life,  on 
account  of  the  misimprovement  of  so  long  a  period  of  my 
existence !  I  humbly  hope  I  shall  finally  be  saved,  although 
as  by  fire ;  but  I  have  no  reason  to  expect  ever  in  this  world 
all  that  spiritual  enjoyment  with  which  I  might  have  been 
favored,  if  all  these  years  had  witnessed  a  regular  advance 
in  a  life  of  faith  and  piety.  Neither  can  I  expect  that  satis- 
faction and  success  in  laboring  in  the  cause  of  the  Savior 
which  I  might  enjoy,  if  I  had  received  that  preparation  which 
can  be  gained  by  no  means  but  by  a  long  course  of  active, 
faithful  obedience.  May  I  be  enabled  to  improve  the  pre- 
cious moments  as  they  fly,  realizing  that  when  they  are  gone 
they  can  never  be  redeemed. 

"  It   seems   to    me   more   and   more  important  that   the 


58  THE   PREPARATORY   DISCIPLINE. 

professed  followers  of  the  Lamb  should  commence  their  Chris- 
tian course,  guided  by  the  pure  and  perfect  standard  of  truth. 
Is  it  not  too  true  that  many  take  their  standard  from  those 
around  them,  and  on  that  account  live  a  life  which  leads 
others  justly  to  inquire,  '  What  do  ye  more  than  others  ?  ' 
During  all  these  years,  I  know  not  how  many,  just  com- 
mencing a  life  of  godliness,  may  have  received  an  impres- 
sion from  me  which  will  be  felt  all  their  lives.  May  I,  in 
this,  be  saved  from  blood-guiltiness.  But  I  tremble  lest  even 
this  winter  should  bear  witness  against  me.  You  know  that 
I  frequently  feel  that  I  can  do  Httle  or  nothing  to  aid  Chris- 
tiaiis  in  a  life  of  holiness.  In  this  respect,  my  responsibility 
is  greater  than  ever  before  ;  indeed,  it  is  so  great,  that  I 
know  not  what  to  do.  Almost  half  of  my  pupils  have  more 
or  less  hope  that  they  are  the  friends  of  the  Redeemer. 
Several  have  indulged  this  hope  but  a  few  months ;  in  some 
it  is  like  the  faint  glimmering  of  a  distant  taper.  But  few 
can  be  considered  established  Christians ;  and  of  scarcely 
any  have  I  much  evidence  that  they  possess  deep  feeling  and 
a  lively  faith.  Here  we  are ;  what  shall  we  do  .'*  What 
can  we  do .?  The  influence  of  these  on  each  other,  the  in- 
fluence from  absorbing  studies,  and  that  which  I  may  exert, 
may  produce  an  impression  which  shall  affect  their  whole 
lives.  These  precious  souls  have  been  sent  here  by  the 
providence  of  God  j  but  what  to  do  I  know  not.  I  am 
weaker  than  weakness  itself,  and  my  wisdom  is  altogether 
folly.  May  I  be  more  and  more  sensible  of  the  precious- 
ness  of  the  direction,  '  If  any  of  you  lack  wisdom,  let  him 
ask  of  God.' " 

TO    MISS    G. 

"AsHFiELD,  January  8,  1828. 

"  You  fear  lest  the  care  of  my  school,  and  my  solicitude 

for  you,  should  in  some  measure  exclude  divine  realities.     I 

wonder  not,  my  dear  sister,  that  you  thus  fear.     I  feel  that  I 

am  in  danger  .on  every  hand.     I  know  that  almost  every 


LETTERS  TO  MISS  GRANT.  59 

thing  proves  to  me  a  snare.  I  do  not  think,  however,  that 
my  solicitude  for  you  is  so  groat  a  temptation  as  many  other 
things ;  there  is  so  much  to  lead  me  to  feel  that  help  can 
come  only  from  God,  At  times,  it  seems  as  though  I  could 
beheve  this  in  some  degree,  and  that  I  do  find  sweet  relief 
in  committing  the  whole  to  that  Friend  who  sticketh  closer 
than  a  brother.  It  is  true  that  I  have  an  anxiety  for  you 
daily,  which  seems  to  enter  more  deeply  into  my  heart  than 
almost  any  thing  else ;  but  I  have  been  saved  almost  alto- 
gether from  a  restless  solicitude.  It  is  true  that  I  share  with 
you  in  all  your  trials,  in  no  common  degree  ;  but  that  I  am 
thus  permitted  to  share  even  in  your  sorrows,  I  consider  a 
precious  privilege ;  and  "though  it  might  seem  a  little  para- 
doxical, yet  I  do  believe  that  my  enjoyment,  even  for  the 
present  time,  is  very  much  increased  by  this  participation. 

"  I  hope  you  will  never  fear  lest  your  letters  should  in- 
crease my  solicitude ;  for  the  reverse  is  always  the  effect. 
The  more  definitely  I  know  all  about  you,  the  less  difficult 
I  find  it  to  avoid  that  restlessness  which  I  always  find  so  un- 
profitable. What  you  have  written  to  me,  from  week  to 
week,  has  been  useful  as  well  as  gratifying.  Sometimes, 
when  I  have  been  re-perusing  your  letters,  sentence  by  sen- 
tence, to  see  if  there  was  not  some  idea  expressed  or  implied 
which  I  did  not  at  first  apprehend,  I  have  thought  it  would 
be  well  for  me  to  read  my  Bible  with  like  care." 

TO    MISS    G. 

"AsiiFiELD,  January  19,  1828. 
"  I  have  told  you  that  the  trustees  of  this  academy  con- 
sider it  undesirable  to  break  the  course  of  a  regular  school 
through  the  year,  by  having  a  school  exclusively  for  females 
in  the  winter.  I  have,  therefore,  decided  to  leave  Ashfield 
after  the  present  winter,  as  it  is  not  best  I  should  continue 
longer,  unless  I  stay  through  the  summer. 

"  I  find  that  this  academy,  where  I  have  received  so  much 


60  THE   PREPARATORY   DISCIPLINE. 

instruction,  and  where  I  have  labored  so  much,  from  time  to 
time,  has  taken  a  firmer  hold  of  my  affections  than  I  had 
supposed.  It  seems  like,  bidding  an  old  friend  farewell, 
whom  I  do  not  expect  to  meet  again.  But  He  who  knows 
how  to  temper  the  wind  to  the  shorn  lamb,  has  ordered  all 
the  circumstances  in  much  mercy." 

TO    MISS    G. 

"AsHFiELD,  Febraary  12,  1828. 

" I  feel  that  there   is  one  way,  and  only 

one,  in  which  I  can  guard  against  this  easily  besetting  sin, 
and  that  is,  to  seek  daily  the  presence  of  Him  who  can  turn 
the  hearts  of  all  as  the  rivers  of  water  are  turned.  I  have 
been  too  much  inclined  to  seek  to  direct  my  own  path.  May 
I  be  saved  from  this.  The  Lord  in  great  mercy  has  given 
me  a  field  of  labor ;  so  that  for  several  years  I  have  not 
doubted  about  the  path  of  duty.  The  privilege  of  laboring 
is  to  me  more  and  more  precious.  I  would  not  choose  the 
spot.  I  would  not  choose  the  circumstances.  To  be  able 
to  do  something,  is  a  privilege  of  which  I  am  altogether  un- 
worthy. Should  I  be  laid  aside,  as  a  useless  servant,  it  would 
be  just.  I  would  humbly  seek  that  I  may  be  permitted  to 
labor  faithfully  and  successfully,  that  I  may  be  saved  from 
those  temptations  which  my  feeble  heart  cannot  withstand, 
and  that  I  may  be  blessed  with  whatever  may  be  desirable 
for  health  of  body  and  health  of  mind,  and  for  general  use- 
fulness. For  little  else  of  this  world  do  I  feel  at  present  that 
I  ought  to  ask.  May  I  be  the  Lord's,  spirit,  and  soul,  and 
body." 

TO    THE    SAME. 

"  AsHFiELD,  February  25,  "Wednesday. 
"  Every  time  I  have  written  to  you,  I  have  wanted  to  tell 
you  something  about  my  school,  and  about  some  plans  you  pro- 
posed, which  I  am  endeavoring  to  execute  ;  but  I  must  leave 
it  all  for  this  time  also,  while  I  spend  a  few  minutes  on  a 


LETTERS    TO    MISS    GRANT.  61 

subject  more  interesting  to  your  heart,  and,  if  I  am  not 
deceived,  more  so  to  mine.  Before  my  last  letter  to  you,  I 
thought  I  had  reason  to  believe  that  the  Spirit  of  God  was 
finding  a  resting-place  in  the  hearts  of  some  professors  of 
religion  in  school.  I  did  hope,  too,  that  there  was  a  secret, 
silent  influence  on  the  minds  of  some  of  the  impenitent 
This  continued  to  increase,  till  not  a  doubt  remained  that  the 
Lord  was  indeed  among  us.  Since  last  Friday  morning,  oui 
school-room  has  been  a  solemn  place.  During  these  five 
days,  four  have  had  a  change  of  feeling,  which  has  led  them 
to  hope  they  have  passed  from  death  unto  life.  About  a 
week  before,  there  was  one  instance  of  hopeful  conversion. 
Several  are  now  deeply  anxious  ;  some  are  inquiring  with 
interest,  and  I  know  of  only  one  entirely  unaffected.  I  tell 
you  all,  for  we  need  your  prayers.  Our  state  is  most 
critical.  I  do  not  feel  it  to  be  the  time  for  rejoicing  ;  but  for 
mourning,  solemnity,  and  deep  humiliation  before  God.  I 
fear,  first,  lest  I  shall  grieve  the  Spirit ;  and  then  I  fear  for 
the  friends  of  the  Redeemer  here." 

TO    MISS    G. 

"  AsHFiELD,  March  18,  1828, 

"  I  have  this  day  parted  with  my  dear  pupils.  Since  I 
last  wrote  you,  my  labors  have  been  greatly  increased  ;  but 
that  they  have  been  thus  increased,  I  consider  one  of  the 
greatest  blessings  I  have  ever  enjoyed, 

"  When  our  school  commenced,  I  had  a  faint  hope  that 
the  Lord  would  visit  us  by  his  Holy  Spirit.  But  on  viewing 
my  own  heart,  I  felt  that  I  had  very  little  reason  to  expect  it. 
There  I  found  an  apathy,  chilling  and  distressing.  It  seemed 
almost  as  if  the  fallow  ground  could  not  be  broken  up.  I  felt 
that  I  was  taking  on  myself  a  great  responsibility ;  but  what 
to  do  I  scarcely  knew  ;  and  the  little  that  I  did  know  I  was 
very  poorly  prepared  to  perform. 

"The  first  week  I  made  a  separation  in  the  school  after 
6 


62  THE   PREPARATORY   DISCIPLINE. 

the  plan  that  you  have  generally  practised.  To  my  surprise, 
nearly  twenty  were  found,  who,  in  some  form  or  other,  in- 
dulged a  hope  that  they  were  the  friends  of  God.  This 
affected  my  heart.  The  responsibility  of  attempting  to  do 
something  for  their  spiritual  improvement  rested  on  my  mind 
with  an  indescribable  weight.  It  seemed  to  me  that  some- 
thing must  be  done  ;  but  I  felt  that  I  could  do  little  more  than 
endeavor  to  ascertain  something  about  them  individually,  and 
attempt  to  commit  them  to  God.  You  know  that  this  is  a 
field  of  labor  which  I  have  generally  avoided.  1  felt  myself 
like  a  little  child,  without  resolution,  without  strength,  with- 
out experience,  and  without  wisdom.  During  my  life,  I  have 
done  very  little  for  the  growth  of  Christians  ;  but  through  the 
mercy  of  God,  I  humbly  hope,  that,  during  the  present  win- 
ter, I  have  been  enabled  to  labor  rather  more  in  this  field, 
and  that  I  have  labored  more  successfully. 

"  For  several  weeks,  my  desires  for  the  impenitent  were 
faint  and  few ;  and  almost  all  I  met,  either  in  school  or  out, 
appeared  to  partake  of  the  same  spirit.  I  used  to  say  to  Miss 
W.,  that  if  the  Lord  should  visit  this  school,  we  must  always 
remember  it  as  one  of  the  more  wonderful  displays  of  his 
power,  which  he  sometimes  condescends  to  make.  We^ 
would  recount  the  scenes  of  Buckland,  and  contrast  some, 
who,  from  the  commencement  of  the  term  there,  seemed  to 
pray  the  prayer  of  faith,  with  those  in  this  school  who  were 
the  most  interested  for  the  salvation  of  souls ;  and  we  would 
say,  '  There  is  no  prospect  of  a  revival,  for  this  is  not  the  way 
that  God  generally  works ; '  and  then  my  heart  would  sink 
within  me.  Thus  I  lived  on,  week  after  week,  till  more  than 
half  the  term  was  gone.  But  while  man  looketh  on  the  out- 
ward appearance,  God  judgeth  righteous  judgment.  I  now 
believe  that  the  eye  which  saw  seven  thousand  in  Israel  who 
had  not  bowed  the  knee  to  Baal,  has  seen  the  effectual  prayer 
rising  continually  from  some  hearts  in  towns  around  us, 
lliou^h  I  knew  it  not  at  the  time. 


LETTERS  TO  MISS  GRANT.  63 

"  The  eighth  week  of  the  school,  Rev,  Mr.  M.,  of  H.,  called 
to  take  a  daughter  home  on  account  of  sickness  in  the  family. 
A  friend  of  mine,  who  is  himself  a  clergyman,  has  remarked 
to  me,  that  he  considered  it  no  disparagement  to  any  of  his 
ministerial  brethren  in  this  region  to  say,  that  he  should  pre- 
fer Mr.  M.  for  his  minister  ;  though  he  cannot  be  said  to 
excel  in  preaching.  At  the  time  he  came  for  his  daughter, 
I  saw  him  only  a  moment.  After  expressing  a  great  interest 
in  the  school  on  account  of  its  influence  on  society,  arid  on 
account  of  its  containing  so  many  teachers  for  district  schools 
the  ensuing  summer,  he  said  that  he  had  been  anxious  for  its 
spiritual  prosperity.  He  only  said  it,  but  it  found  a  resting- 
place  in  my  heart,  and  there  it  has  rested  to  the  present 
time.  I  could  read  in  his  countenance  and  manner,  that  it 
was  not  an  expression  of  common  interest.  It  seemed 
suited  at  once  to  encourage  and  reprove  me,  and  also  to 
humble  me  in  the  dust.  I  have  since  learned,  in  more  ways 
than  one,  that  he  has  undoubtedly  had  great  anxiety  for  souls 
here ;  and  I  believe  some  others  have  had  a  like  spirit.  It 
is  worthy  of  notice  that  the  attention  commenced  among 
the  young  ladies  from  Mr.  M.'s  parish,  and  was  almost 
entirely  confined  to  them  for  some  time.  It  did  seem  that 
the  prayers  of  this  good  man  were  answered.  He  has  since 
said  to  me,  that  he  had  indeed  been  anxious  for  the  school  ; 
but  in  the  ardent  desires  of  his  heart,  he  had  not  been  con- 
scious of  making  any  selection ;  even  though  he  had  a 
daughter  here  without  God  and  without  hope. 

"  This  daughter  returned  after  an  absence  of  three  weeks  ; 
but  her  father  said  he  did  not  bring  her  depending  on  the 
school  to  give  her  a  new  heart.  She  found  the  influences  in 
her  room  entirely  changed.  Her  three  companions,  young 
ladies  from  the  same  town,  were  all  rejoicing  in  hope.  They 
had  been  ardently  desiring  her  return,  and  now  they  could 
not  see  her  willing  to  reject  the  Savior.  She  was  imme- 
diately affected  ;  but  I  did  not  dare  to  hope,  for  a  wliile,  that  it 


64  THE    PEEPAKATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

was  any  thing  but  sympathy.  Soon,  however,  her  tears 
were  exchanged  for  a  solemn  and  distressed  countenance, 
which  bespoke  deep,  heartfelt  sorrow.  For  a  few  days,  her 
distress  was  great.  Though  generally  very  much  inclined 
to  converse,  she  would  now  pass  the  whole  morning  without 
scarcely  speaking  a  word  ;  and  her  companions,  though  pos- 
sessing all  the  joy  and  ardor  of  young  converts,  were  awed 
into  silence  ;  and  like  Job's  friends,  '  none  spake  a  word.' 
In  eight  days  after  her  return,  she  was  brought  to  rejoice  in 
hope  of  a  blessed  immortality. 

"  During  the  whole  winter,  Scripture  recitations  have  been 
uncommonly  impressive,  compared  with  the  means  used  to 
make  them  so.  This  interest  was  most  manifest,  when  the 
subject  was  a  solemn  one,  such  as  '  the  mercy  seat ; '  '  the 
thunderings  of  Mount  Sinai,'  &c.  During  some  of  these  still 
and  impressive  exercises,  it  did  seem  that  the  effect  must 
remain  ;  but  the  first  recess  would  carry  it  all  away.  It  was 
not  until  about  the  middle  of  the  term  that  I  became  sen- 
sible that  professing  Christians  were  more  awake,  and  felt 
more  deeply  their  responsibility.  Sometimes  we  hoped  that 
the  mind  of  here  and  there  one,  among  the  impenitent,  was 
not  quite  so  indifferent  as  usual.  The  first  of  the  tenth  week 
I  was  convinced  that  the  Holy  Spirit  was  indeed  among  us. 
From  this  time,  with  a  very  few  apparent  interruptions,  the 
work  went  forward  with  a  regular  and  increasing  advance, 
till  the  very  last  day.  About  twenty  expressed  hope  in  the 
Savior,  six  or  seven  left  without  hope,  of  whom  two  were  not 
deeply  affected.  One  of  them  tried  to  be  interested,  depend- 
ing on  her  own  efforts  ;  but  her  efforts  were  in  vain. 

"  The  work  was  very  still ;  so  much  so,  that  many  in  town 
knew  scarcely  any  thing  about  it.  Our  school  exercises 
were  as  usual.  Many  of  our  friends,  who  visited  us,  observed 
nothing  to  mark  this  as  the  place  where  the  Spirit  was  oper- 
ating so  powerfully,  except  a  general  stillness,  and  here  and 
there  a  deeply  solemn^  countenance.     But  to  us,  connected 


LETTERS  TO  MISS  GRANT.  65 

witli  the  school,  the  work  has  appeared  great  and  wonderfuh 
We  have  daily  said  to  each  other,  '  Can  this  be  true  ?  '  It  has 
been  carried  on  so  independently  of  means,  that  we  have 
frequently  felt  that  our  best  hopes  might  easily  be  blasted, 
and  as  frequently  that  the  Lord  could  work  and  none  could 
hinder.  We  have  all  had  the  conviction  daily,  that  this  work 
is  wholly  of  the  Lord.  The  effect  of  this  revival,  on  those 
who  indulged  a  hope  at  the  commencement  of  the  school, 
has  been  favorable.  Many  of  them  seemed  to  leave  the 
school  with  a  much  higher  sense  of  their  obligation  to  labor 
continually  for  the  kingdom  of  Christ." 

In  reference  to  her  future  labors,  she  writes, — 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"AsHFiELD,  April  3,  1828. 

" I  am  not  indifferent  to  enjoyments.   Your 

society  seems  to  me  a  greater  blessing  than  ever  before.  If 
I  should  enjoy  it,  may  my  heart  be  filled  with  gratitude  to 
God  ;  if,  in  his  providence,  he  should  deprive  me  of  this,  in 
a  greater  or  less  degree,  may  I  never  complain  in  my  heart 
of  Him  who  does  all  things  well.  The  will  of  the  Lord  be 
done.  My  own  strength  is  weakness.  I  am  a  sinner,  a 
great  sinner.  I  can  have  no  hope  but  in  the  infinite  mercy 
of  God.  Sometimes  I  do  hope  I  depend  on  him.  But  O, 
my  wicked  heart !  I  dare  not  trust  it.  Still  the  Lord  can  give 
me  pardoning  mercy ;  he  can  give  me  strength  ;  he  can 
give  me  submission  to  his  will,  and  a  faithful,  obedient  heart. 
It  may  be  he  will  do  it.  My  daily  desire  for  myself  is,  that 
I  may  know  and  do  the  will  of  God  ;  that  I  may  live  by 
faith ;  that  I  may  have  a  calm  and  quiet  mind  ;  that  I  may 
be  a  help  to  you  ;  that  I  may  be  useful  in  your  school  ;  and 
that,  in  some  way  or  other,  I  may  be  permitted  to  do  some- 
thing for  the  salvation  of  souls.  I  know  I  am  remembered 
in  your  prayers." 

6* 


66  THE    PKEPAKATORY   DISCIPLINE. 

SECTION    III. 

At  Buckland  and  Ipswich,  1828  to  1834. 

In  the  spring  of  1828,  Miss  Grant  removed  from  Derry  to 
Ipswich,  Massachusetts,  where  a  large  number  of  her  pupils 
followed  her.  Miss  Lyon,  as  before,  cooperated  personally 
with  Miss  G.  in  the  summer,  and  kept  up  her  winter  school 
at  Buckland  the  two  following  years.  The  school  at  Derry 
had  not  been  open  during  the  winter  ;  at  Ipswich,  it  was  in 
operation  through  the  year. 

Near  the  close  of  her  first  summer  in  Ipswich,  Miss  L. 
was  confined  with  a  bilious  fever,  from  which  she  had  not 
entirely  recovered,  when  she  went  to  her  friends  in  Franklin 
county.     From  thence  she  wrote  to  Miss  Grant,  — 

"November  28,  1828. 

"  It  seems  to  me  more  and  more  that  we  must  expect 
afflictions  in  this  world  ;  but  I  think  it  appears  to  me  more 
and  more,  too,  that  they  are  no  cause  for  despondency.  I 
feel  that  it  is  safe  trusting  in  God,  that  he  is  a  sure  rock, 
which  can  never  be  removed.  I  believe  that  the  blessings 
of  this  life  are  very  great,  and  will  continue  to  be  so  ;  and 
that  trials  are  trials  under  all  circumstances.  But  I  think  1 
can  faintly  see  that  there  is  a  foundation  for  support,  when 
this  world  is  not  made  all  in  all. 

"  With  the  exception  of  sister  Putnam's  family,  I  find  my 
friends  well.  The  hand  of  affliction  is  now  pressing  sorely 
on  that  family.  May  I,  and  my  family  friends,  be  enabled 
to  place  our  confidence  in  God,  and  cheerfully  acquiesce  in 
his  government.  I  believe  I  mentioned  to  you  that  my  sis- 
ter and  her  husband  were  both  sick.  At  first,  her  sickness 
appeared  to  be  principally  debility,  produced  by  care  and 
anxiety  for  her  husband.  But  it  resulted  in  a  complication 
of  diseases,  which  were  baffled   by  the  skill  of  physicians. 


LETTERS    TO    MISS    GRANT.  6") 

A-bout  the  time  I  first  heard  she  was  sick,  she  had  so  far 
recovered  as  to  leave  her  room.  It  was  not  long,  however, 
before  she  became  worse  again.  Her  head  was  very  much 
diseased,  and  at  times  her  suffering  was  great.  Soon  her 
mind,  at  intervals,  appeared  to  be  affected  ;  still  it  was  hoped 
it  would  be  nothing  permanent.  But  all  hope  has  failed  ; 
the  result  has  been  evident  derangement,  and  by  the  advice 
of  physicians  and  friends,  she  has  been  separated  from  her 
husband  and  children,  and  removed  to  the  Insane  Hospital  at 
Hartford.  She  knew  she  was  deranged,  and  was  very  urgent 
indeed  to  go  to  the  hospital.  Brother  Putnam  was  not  able 
to  accompany  his  wife.  Since  she  left,  he  has  been  much 
more  unwell,  and  is  at  this  time  in  a  critical  state.  His  phy- 
sician tells  me,  that  he  fears  more  the  loss  of  his  limbs,  than 
an  immediate  loss  of  life.  Thus  five  little  children,  the  old- 
est only  in  the  eighth  year  of  her  age,  are  left,  like  orphans, 
while  their  father  and  mother  are  living. 

"  My  sickness,  and  all  its  attendant  consequences,  seem  to 
me  a  small  trial,  compared  with  what  I  am  now  called  to 
experience  on  account  of  my  sister's  family." 

The  friend  who  was  commissioned  to  communicate  to 
Miss  Lyon  the  intelligence  of  her  sister's  situation,  well  recol- 
lects the  anguish  of  her  heart  on  the  occasion.  For  a  long 
time,  tears  came  not  to  her  relief;  but  she  walked  the  room 
in  her  agony,  and  remarked,  that  "  the  sickness  of  friends 
was  trying;  their  death  still  more  so;  but  their  loss  of  rea- 
son more  bitter  than  all."  She  also  thanked  God  that  this 
sister,  while  her  powers  of  mind  were  under  her  own  control, 
had  chosen  him  for  her  everlasting  portion. 

Miss  Lyon's  benevolence  was  not  all  expended  on  public 
charities,  as  will  appear  by  her  remarks  about  her  relatives 
and  friends.  The  following  letter  was  written  soon  after  the 
death  of  Mr.  Putnam,  her  sister's  husband  :  — 


68  THE    PREPARATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

TO    BUSS    GRANT. 

"BucKLAND,  Febraary  2,  1829. 

" Among  other  cares,  I  am  devoting  many 

thoughts  and  some  attention  to  sister  Putnam's  family.  They 
are  a  little  more  than  a  mile  from  me.  The  whole  care  of  the 
family,  for  several  months,  has  rested  on  my  youngest  sis- 
ter. I  have  been  to  see  them  often,  and  have  known  so 
much  of  their  general  concerns  as  to  be  able  to  consult  with 
and  advise  sister  F.  I  nave  felt  it  to  be  a  great  privilege 
that  it  was  in  my  power  to  administer  to  the  comfort  of  that 
afflicted,  and  to  me  very  dear,  family.  Besides  this,  I  have 
written  to  Hartford,  almost  or  quite  every  week  since  my 
arrival  in  B. ;  but  I  shall  have  no  more  of  this  to  do  now,  as 
my  sister  returned  last  week.  She  wishes  very  much  to  see 
me  often,  and  says  she  does  not  mean  to  place  much  confi- 
dence in  her  own  judgment  at  present.  I  have  been  to  see 
her  twice,  and  shall  probably  visit  her  at  least  once  a  week 
through  the  winter.  Her  mind  is  still  weak,  and  in  some 
respects  she  appears  not  quite  the  same  as  formerly  ;  but,  on 
the  whole,  she  is  to  me  exceedingly  interesting.  Her  calm- 
ness, self-government,  and  settled  resolution  to  go  forward 
in  the  path  of  duty,  under  her  present  weakness  of  body  and 
mind,  and  under  all  her  complicated  trials,  considering  her 
natural  ardor  of  feeling,  give  me  a  very  important  lesson. 
It  is  a  question  yet  to  be  settled  whether  sister,  with  her 
health,  and  under  her  circumstances,  can  keep  her  children 
together  I  am  exceedingly  anxious  that  they  should  not  be 
separated.  There  is  no  probability  that  they  could  be  placed 
where  their  discipline,  the  formation  of  their  minds  and 
habits,  and  the  regulation  of  their  dispositions,  could  be 
nearly  so  favorable  as  under  her  care,  if  she  regains  the  use 
of  her  mind.  Now,  my  dear  friend,  I  want  your  advice. 
If  I  should  see  that,  by  furnishing  them  yearly  with  what  I 
am  able  to  spare  from  my  earnings,  it  would  enable  sister  to 


LETTERS   TO    MISS   GRANT.  69 

keep  her  family  together,  would  it  not  bd  a  good  time  to  cast 
my  bread  upon  the  waters  ? 

"  You  remember  that,  after  my  sickness  last  summer,  my 
hair  came  off  by  handfuls.  For  several  weeks  past,  I  have 
not  lost  any,  so  that  I  hope  I  shall  continue  to  have  enough 
to  support  my  combs.  For  a  while  my  head  was  very  cold  ; 
but  since  I  began  to  wear  a  turban,  it  has  been  quite  com- 
fortable. 

•  •  •  •  • 

"  I  hope  you  will  be  enabled  to  do  as  much  this  winter  to 
correct  the  erroneous  opinions  of  your  teachers  about  schools, 
if  they  have  any,  as  you  have  done  to  correct  mine  from 
year  to  year. 

"  Notwithstanding  these  sober  hours,  life  seems  to  me 
more  and  more  a  blessing,  on  account  of  its  labors,  and  not 
as  a  period  of  rest. 

"  For  two  or  three  weeks,  I  have  been  rather  encouraged 
about  the  spiritual  state  of  our  school  ;  but  appearances  this 
week  are  less  favorable.  Thus  we  go  on  between  hope  and 
fear.     Do  pray  for  us. 

"  I  have  seventy-four  pupils,  and  Miss  L,  B.  assists  me 
this  winter." 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"BucKLAND,  Februaiy  16,  1829. 
"The  past  week  has  been  an  unusual  time.  My  labors, 
cares,  and  anxieties  have  been  greatly  increased.  It  has 
been  a  solemn  season  —  a  trying  time  —  a  season  of  re- 
joicing, but  of  ^eat  mourning.  I  trust  it  has  been  a  time 
when  many  hard  hearts  have  been  softened,  and  many  a 
proud  one  brought  low.  I  should  be  glad  to  tell  you  all,  but 
I  cannot  describe  the  scenes  I  have  witnessed.  It  is  the 
Lord's  doing,  and  it  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes.     It  is  proper 


70  THE    PREPARATORY   DISCIPLINE. 

to  say  to  you,  that  I  think  the  rapidity  with  which  this  work 
of  grace  has  been  carried  forward,  the  week  past,  has  never 
been  equalled,  where  I  have  been  permitted  to  be  an  eye- 
witness. It  is  now  just  a  week  since  the  first  instance  of 
conversion ;  and  fifteen  are  now  indulging  a  hope,  though 
very  feeble  in  some  cases,  that  they  know  the  grace  of  God 
in  truth'.  I  find  it  difficult  to  know  how  much  to  press  study. 
I  am  satisfied,  however,  that  it  is  not  best  to  make  much 
alteration  from  the  usual  course.  On  this  point,  I  have  had 
the  advice  of  some  of  my  judicious  friends,  and  this  is  their 
opinion.  On  the  whole,  there  is  not  much  excitement  in 
school,  but  all  appears  as  usual,  and  in  order.  I  consider  it 
important  that  I  should  devote  to  them  much  individual  at- 
tention. I  have  encouraged  their  coming  to  me  frequently 
and  familiarly.  As  my  room  is  in  the  same  building  with 
the  school,  and  as  twenty-five  of  the  pupils  board  here,  my 
opportunities  for  private  conversation  are  very  good.  1  have 
had  many  interesting  interviews  with  individuals,  several 
since  I  have  been  writing  this. 

"  I  can  have  but  a  little  more  time,  and  I  believe  I  must 
be  exceedingly  cautious  not  to  encroach  upon  the  time  for 
sleep,  not  even  to  write  to  my  dearest  and  best  earthly 
friend." 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"BucKLAND,  March  2,  1829. 

"  As  you  have  cast  on  me  all  the  responsibility  of  decid- 
ing the  place  for  my  labors  next  winter,  1  have  now  only  to 
tell  you  that  the  matter  is  settled.  I  have  followed  the 
course  of  Rev.  Mr.  W.,  when  he  could  not  decide  whether 
to  go  to  N.  He  did  not  decide,  but  continued  where 
he  was. 

"  In  settling  this  question,  I  have  looked  at  the  situation  of 
my  sister's  family,  and  the  probability  that  my  being  here 
might  enable  me  to  render  tTlem  some  little  service.     I  have 


LETTER   TO    HER    MOTHER.  7i 

looked  at  the  marked  providence  that  has  led  me  along, 
since  I  have  occupied  this  field,  (Gen.  xxxii.  10,)  and  espe- 
cially have  I  reflected  on  the  spiritual  blessings  bestowed  on 
this  school  from  time  to  time,  notwithstanding  my  extreme 
unworthiness,  base  ingratitude,  unbelief,  hardness  of  heart, 
and  blindness  of  mind.  When  I  reflect  on  these  things,  I 
fear  to  forsake  this  field  of  labor. 

"  More  than  half  the  days  since  the  term  commenced,  I 
have  had  more  or  less  company  in  school,  generally  from 
out  of  town. 

"  There  have  been  no  new  cases  of  seriousness  in  school 
recently.  Still  we  have  evidence  that  the  Holy  Spirit  has 
not  yet  left  us  altogether.  Do  pray  for  us.  Your  niece 
Mary  expresses  some  hope  that  she  has  commenced  a  reli-, 
gious  life.     I  consider  her  case  unusually  interesting." 

TO    HER   YOUNGEST    SISTER. 

"Ipswich,  September  11,  1829. 
"  Last  week,  I  wrote  a  letter  to  Mr.  Clark,  of  Buckland, 
stating  some  difficulties  relating  to  my  continuing  to  teach 
there,  and  some  reasons  in  favor  of  my  remaining  here 
through  the  year.  I  hope  I  shall  receive  a  line  from  him 
very  soon,  as  I  shall  defer  deciding  this  question  till  I  hear 
from  B." 

TO    HER    MOTHER. 

"Ipswich,  September  21,  1829. 
"  I  have  been  considering,  or  rather  reconsidering,  the 
subject  of  my  winter  labors.  I  am  more  inclined  to  think 
that  I  ought  to  continue  them  here  through  the  winter.  My 
dear  mother,  what  do  you  think  about  it .''  At  first,  it  seems 
more  like  parting  with  my  family  friends,  than  the  present 
arrangement.  But,  at  second  view,  the  subject  appears 
rather    differentlv.       It    is    true    that   I  have   not   "enerallv 


72  THE    PREPARATOEY   DISCIPLINE. 

favored  visiting  so  much  as  to  approve  of  the  feelings 
and  conduct  of  some,  who  seem  to  think  that  every  thing 
must  bend  to  this  one  object ;  that,  however  much  self-denial 
they  might  practise  in  relation  to  others,  if  it  is  a  mother  or 
sister,  every  other  object  must  yield.  I  would  have  all  con- 
tented, wherever  Providence  may  place  them,  whether  or 
not  they  may  be  favored  with  the  society  of  father  or 
mother,  brother  or  sister.  And  if  duty  should  call,  I  would 
endeavor  to  be  contented,  though  years  should  pass  without 
my  beholding  the  face  of  one  near  relative.  With  my  pres- 
ent prospects,  I  have  no  need  to  anticipate  this  trial.  By 
visiting  my  native  place  once  a  year,  disencumbered  of 
school  affairs,  I  might  in  a  few  weeks  enjoy  quite  as  much 

of  my  friends  as  I  now  can 

"  The  religious  state  of  our  school  is  interesting,  and  has 
been  so  for  several  weeks.  The  Spirit  of  God  is  evidently 
among  us,  operating  on  the  hearts  of  our  dear  pupils.  The 
work  is  silent  and  gradual,  but  the  effects  are  certain;  and 
that  it  is  the  work  of  God  there  can  be  no  doubt.  Eight  or 
nine  have  indulged  hope  that  they  have  found  the  Savior, 
and  the  state  of  many  others  is  very  encouraging.  So  far 
the  work  has  been  slow ;  but  the  way  seeptis  all  prepared  by 
the  Holy  Spirit  for  richer  and  more  abundant  displays  of 
mercy.  It  does  appear  that  the  fields  are  white  already  to 
the  harvest.  The  blessing  seems  just  ready  to  descend 
upon  us.  If  there  is  no  Achan  in  the  camp,  if  there  is  no 
stumbling  block  in  the  way,  if  there  is  not  a  manifest  and 
decided  fault  on  the  part  of  Christians,  we  shall  probably  see 

greater  things  than  these Perhaps  the  Lord 

may  put  it  into  the  heart  of  my  dear  mother  to  pray  for 
these  souls  that  prayer  of  faith,  which  God  will  hear  in 
heaven,  his  holy  dwelling-place,  and  answer  on  earth.  The 
school  is  very  attentive  to  general  instruction  on  the  subject 
of  religion,  but  still  there  are  many  who  think  little  or  noth- 
mg  on  these  things,  and  care  as  little  as  they  think. 


LETTKR   TO    MRS.    A.    W.    F.  73 

"  Give  my  love  to  your  family,  especially  to  Mary.  When 
I  last  parted  with  her,  I  supposed  ere  this  she  would  proba- 
bly be  called  to  know  the  realities  of  eternity.  May  the 
Lord  bless  her. 

The  following  letter  to  Mrs.  A.  W.  F.  will  show  her  in- 
terest in  individual  scholars  :  — 

"Ipswich,  October  1,  1829. 
"  My  very  dear  Friend  : 

" I    know   you    feel    a    deep    interest   in 

,  and  that  your  first  inquiries  would  be  about  her.     She 

possesses  a  large  share  of  our  affection,  and  her  welfare  will 
continue  to  be  a  subject  of  anxious  solicitude,  and  I  hope  of 
our  faithful  exertions.  She  is  more  than  commonly  en- 
gaging, and  she  requires  more  than  common  care.  The  in- 
genuousness with  which  she  receives  new  ideas  is  very  grat- 
ifying. This  is  particularly  manifest  in  gaining  instruction 
from  the  Bible,  whether  this  instruction  relates  to  historical 
facts,  or  to  its  doctrines  and  duties.  She  began  to  think  of 
her  own  salvation  nearly  three  months  ago,  just  before  vaca- 
tion. During  vacation  she  quite  dismissed  the  subject,  but 
soon  after  her  return,  she  began  to  realize  that  in  the  giving 
up  of  seeking  religion  for  the  world  she  had  greatly  sinned, 
if  in  nothing  else.  Since  that  time,  she  has  evidently  expe- 
rienced much  of  the  strivings  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Her  feel- 
ings have  been  variable,  but  her  case  has  been  very  interest- 
ing, and  for  a  few  days  particularly  so.  The  result  we  must 
leave  with  God.  When  you  remember  yourself  at  the  throne 
of  grace,  I  know  you  will  remember  her. 

"  The  religious  state  of  our  school  is  encouraging.  Be- 
tween ten  and  fifteen  are  indulging  more  or  less  hope.  Sev- 
eral others  seem  near  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  in  many 
there  is  an  habitual  solemnity. 

"  I  am  to  teach  in  Buckland  again  next  winter." 
7 


74  THE    PREPARATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"BucKLAXD,  November  18,  1829. 
"  Though  my  school  is  such  as  to  involve  great  and  in- 
creasing responsibilities,  yet  some  things  are  encouraging. 
I  have  quite  as  many  of  mature  age  in  school  as  I  have  ever 
had,  and  I  think  quite  as  much  improvement.  Our  present 
number  is  ninety-nine,  and  about  forty  indulge  more  or  less 
hope  that  they  love  the  Savior.  Pray  for  us  that  these  may 
not  be  dead,  while  they  have  a  name  to  live." 

TO    THE    SAME. 

"BucKLAXD,  November  30,  1829. 
"  I  have  just  had  an  interview  with  Rev.  Dr.  P.  of  S.  He 
waited  on  me  to  express  the  wish  of  the  Franklin  Associa- 
tion of  ministers,  that  I  would  continue  in  this  region.  He 
took  up  the  comparative  importance  of  my  labors  here  and 
with  you.  I  did  not  succeed  in  my  efforts  to  lead  him  to 
look  directly  at  the  two  important  points ;  one,  the  great  dif- 
ficulties of  my  laboring  in  two  places,  and  the  other,  that  I 
am  pledged  to  you  for  summers.  He  brought  no  argument 
to  prove  that  I  ought  to  labor  in  both  places,  but,  like  many 
others,  urged  that  I  ought  to  labor  here  both  winter  and 
every  summer." 

TO    THE    SAME. 

"BucKLAXD,  December  21,  1829. 

"  My  time  is  fully  occupied.  I  am  doing  more  than  ever 
before  for  individuals,  and  especially  for  the  more  dull  and 
less  industrious.  I  want  to  be  faithful  to  all,  and  to  have 
every  thing  done  well. 

"  My  sister  is  no  better,  but  worse.  We  are  now  consult- 
ing whether  it  is  best  to  send  her  to  Hartford.  We  hope 
first  to  try  the  effect  of  removing  her  several  miles  from  her 
husband  and  children.  My  cares  on  her  account  are  great. 
Sister  F.  scarcely  knows  how  to  have  me  away.  I  have 
spent  part  of  to-day,  and  shall  be  gone  all  of  to-morrow,  on 
business  for  the  fnmilv. 


LETTERS  TO  MISS  GRANT.  75 

"  The  spiritual  state  of  our  school  is  rather  encouraging. 
The  minds  of  some  professors,  and  of  several  among  the 
impenitent,  are  tender.  Three  or  four  are  deeply  affected. 
One  has  expressed  a  change  of  feeling  within  a  few  days." 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"BucKLAND,  January  1,  1830. 
"  In  dwelling  on  Matt.  vi.  25,  26,  '  Take  no  thought,'  &c., 
in  school,  yesterday  morning,  I  endeavored  to  point  out  that 
anxiety  which  is  there  prohibited.  While  I  was  speaking,  I 
felt  that  I  was  condemning  myself.  I  endeavor  daily  to 
avoid  excessive  emotions  on  any  subject,  but  in  no  case  do  I 
find  so  much  difficulty  as  in  this. 

"  Our  young  ladies  are  deeply  engaged  in  study  ;  but  I 
fear  about  our  spiritual  state.  With  the  exception  of  two  or 
three  cases,  we  have  remained  just  about  the  same  for 
three  weeks. 

"  My  labors  are  indeed  abundant,  my  cares  almost  over- 
whelming, and  they  continue  to  increase.  I  devote  more 
attention  to  individuals  than  formerly.  My  pupils  come  to 
me  with  more  freedom  and  more  frequency.  This  I  encour- 
age. I  consider  it  an  important  way  of  doing  good,  espe- 
cially as  this  is  my  last  winter  with  them.  It  is  necessary 
to  make  such  arrangements,  that  the  school  is  never  all 
together  except  when  I  am  with  them.  It  is  always  con- 
venient to  find  some  one  whom  I  want  to  see,  or  some  one 
who  wants  to  see  me  ;  so  that  I  have  not  a  single  half  hour 
on  which  I  can  depend,  from  eight  in  the  morning  till  nine 
in  the  evening.  You  will  say  that  I  need  more  aid,  and  I 
am  happy  to  relieve  your  mind  by  informing  you  that  the 
health  of  Miss  W.  is  so  far  restored  that  I  have  engaged  her 
for  the  remainder  of  the  winter. 

"  It  is  late,  and  I  have  written  this  while  half  asleep  in 
body  ;  but  my  heart  has  been  awake." 


76  THE    PEEPAEATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

TO    MISS    GEANT. 

"BucKLAND,  January  20,  1830. 
"  I  want  a  few  of  your  ideas  on  the  fifth  and  sixth  chap- 
ters of  Upham's  Philosophy  very  much,  especially  on  the 
distinction  between  ideas  of  sensation  and  reflection,  or  those 
of  internal  and  external  origin.  How  much  is  to  be  included  in 
the  word  thinking  7  (Page  85,  sect.  62.)  Is  it  not  used  in  a 
vague  sense  ?  What  is  your  opinion  about  our  having  two 
ideas  in  the  mind  at  the  same  time  ?  " 

,      .  TO    THE    SAME, 

"BucKLAi^D,  February  12,  1830. 
"  Since  I  wrote  you,  I  have  been  laid  aside  by  sickness ; 
but  Miss  W.  has  communicated  to  you  the  state  of  our 
school.  Good  Mr.  M.  was  in  town  Wednesday  night,  and 
came  in  the  next  morning,  and  opened  the  school.  Perhaps 
my  sickness  is  to  lead  me  more  fully  to  feel  that  the  Lord 
can  work  without  me.  This  week,  it  does  seem  as  if  we  had 
nothing  to  do  but  to  '  stand  still  and  see  the  salvation  of 
God.'  As  many  as  six  or  seven,  within  a  few  days,  have 
expressed  a  change  of  feeling,  which  has  either  led  them  to 
hope  for  themselves,  or  led  others  to  hope  for  them,  that 
they  have  found  the  Savior.  Among  these  are  your  niece 
E.,  and  your  cousin  R.  While  I  rejoice,  I  fear.  '  He  that 
endureth  to  the  end  shall  be  saved.' 

"  The  school  is  very  solemn,  and  marked  by  a  deep,  per- 
vading stillness.  When  you  pray  for  your  own  dear  pupils, 
I  am  confident  you  will  think  of  us." 

TO    HER    SISTER    ROSINA. 

"BucKLAND,  March  9,  1830. 

"  It  is  now  a  week  since  I   parted   with   my  pupils.     I 

should  be  glad  to  give  you  a  description  of  this  school,  but  it 

is  impossible.     Perhaps  the  thought  of  its  being  my  last  one 

in  FrankJin  county  has  rendered  it  doubly  dear.     I  believe 


LETTER    TO    HER    MOTHER.  77 

that  my  schools  have  been  more  and  more  interesting  every 
winter,  and  we  all  think  this  has  been  the  most  so  of  all.  I 
have  never  witnessed  such  an  improvement  in  moral  charac- 
ter, in  ardent  desire  to  possess  meekness,  humility,  patience, 
perseverance,  &c.  A  spirit  of  benevolence  has  seemed  to 
reign  among  us  to  such  a  degree,  that  selfishness  has  ap- 
peared to  most  of  our  little  community  somewhat  in  its  own 
character.  We  have  made  it  an  object  to  gain  enlarged  and 
correct  views,  especially  relating  to  our  own  country,  its  pres- 
ent state,  its  interesting  character,  its  wants,  its  prospects,  as 
to  what  needs  tb  be  done,  what  can  be  done,  what  ought  to 
be  done  ;  and,  finally,  as  to  what  is  our  duty.  Many  intelli- 
gent, refined  young  ladies,  who  have  been  brought  up  in  the 
lap  of  indulgence,  thought  they  should  be  willing  to  go  to 
the  remotest  corner  of  the  world,  and  teach  a  school  among 
the  most  degraded  and  ignorant,  might  it  only  be  said  of 
them  by  their  Master,  as  it  was  said  of  one  of  old,  '  She 
hath  done  what  she  could.'  But,  more  than  all,  we  have 
been  visited  by  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Soon  after 
the  commencement  of  the  school,  the  gentle  dews  began  to 
descend,  and  continued  to  increase  until  the  last  week,  when 
we  were  blessed  with  a  plentiful  and  refreshing  shower. 
More  than  thirty  expressed  some  hope  that  they  found  the 
Savior  precious  to  their  souls.  At  the  commencement  of 
the  term,  more  than  forty  indulged  this  hope.  Among  these 
there  was  evidently  a  great  improvement  in  Christian  char- 
acter. It  has  seemed  as  if  the  eflbcts  of  this  work  of  the 
Spirit  must  continue." 

TO    HER    MOTHER. 

"Ipswich,  February  7,  1831. 

" Amidst  all  the  trials  of  our  family,  I  feel 

that  we  have  many  blessings.     Whenever  I  see  you,  or  hear 
from  you,  I  feel  it  to  be  a  very  great  comfort  that  you  are 
supported  under  the  various  afflictions  that  have  been  sent 
7* 


78  THE    PKEPARATOEY    DISCIPLINE. 

upon  you  since  my  father's  death.  I  often  try  to  imagine 
how  great  the  trial  to  me  must  be,  if  you  were  unreconciled, 
and  without  the  consolations  of  religion.  But  I  hope,  my 
dear  mother,  that  all  your  afflictions,  by  leading  you  to  look 
at  things  unseen  and  eternal,  will  work  out  for  you  a  far 
more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory." 

TO    HER    MOTHER. 

"Ipswich,  April  9,  1831. 

" In    great    mercy,    the    Lord    has    been 

pleased  again  to  visit  our  school  by  the  iiTfluence  of  his 
Holy  Spirit.  There  is  seldom  a  time  when  some  one  be- 
longing to  the  seminary  is  not  apparently  seeking  the  way 
of  eternal  life.  During  most  of  the  winter,  the  school  has 
been  in  an  interesting  state.  For  several  of  the  last  weeks 
it  became  much  more  so.  Not  far  from  twenty  indulged  a 
hope  of  having  passed  from  death  unto  life.  Our  school 
will  soon  be  together  again.  I  trust  you  will  pray  for  us, 
that  we  may  again  be  visited  by  a  refreshing  from  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Lord." 

In  the  autumn  of  1831,  after  Miss  Lyon  had  been  contin- 
uously with  Miss  Grant,  in  the  Ipswich  seminary,  for  a  year 
and  a  half,  the  latter  committed  the  charge  of  the  school  to 
Miss  L.,  and  sought  the  restoration  of  her  health  in  a  milder 
climate.  Though  unable  to  resume  her  active  labors  until 
the  spring  of  1833,  the  hope  of  a  more  speedy  return  led 
to  a  most  copious  correspondence  between  these  ladies.  In 
this  Miss  Lyon  found  her  pastime,  generally  filling  a  sheet 
of  folio  post,  weekly.  From  these  letters  a  few  extracts  are 
here  given. 

"Ipswich,  October  22,  1831. 
♦'  My  dear  Miss  Grant  c 

"  Sabbath  Eve.  —  I  spent  the  time  to-day,  from  one  to  two, 


LETTERS   TO   MISS   GRANT.  79 

in  trying  to  explain  to  our  young  ladies  the  subject  of  faith, 
from  Rom.  iii.  After  tea,  they  read  some  passages  which 
they  had  selected  on  the  same  subject.  I  have  seldom  so 
highly  prized  the  privilege  of  giving  religious  instruction.  It 
seemed  as  if  my  stupid  soul  did  possess  a  little  latent  feel- 
ing, which  could  on  an  important  occasion  be  drawn  out. 
This  subject  is  suited  to  awaken  the  deepest  interest.  It 
brought  vividly  to  my  mind  an  expression  which  I  have  often 
heard  fall  from  the  lips  of  my  dearest  earthly  friend,  '  a 
more  lively  faith.'  " 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"Ipswich,  October  24,  1831. 
"  Rev.  Joseph  Emerson  was  in  school  this  morning.  .  . 
.  I  rejoice  to  have  him  take  up  the  business  of  lec- 
turing to  popular  assemblies.  His  spirit  is  so  pure  and  so  ex- 
alted, that,  whatever  may  be  his  subject,  I  think  he  cannot  fai. 
to  do  something  to  purify  the  hearts  of  others,  to  raise  the 
grovelling  mind,  and  expand  the  contracted  soul,  though  he 
may  say  some  things  which  may  be  considered  extravagant. 
O  for  a  multitude  of  such  souls  as  his  !  Could  they  be  scat- 
tered all  over  the  earth,  this  polluted  and  wretched  world 
must  soon  become  changed.  The  more  I  see  of  the  rest  of 
the  world,  the  more  I  admire,  the  more  I  love  such  a  spirit 
as  his.  What  a  delightful  place  will  heaven  be  !  Thanks 
be  to  God,  that  '  nothing  shall  enter  there  that  defileth  or 
maketh  a  lie ' !  Shall  we,  my  dear  sister,  after  passing 
through  this  wicked  world,  and  having  been  so  severely  tried 
with  our  own  evil  hearts,  —  shall  we,  being  washed  and  made 
white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  be  permitted,  through  rich, 
free,  and  wonderful  grace,  to  sit  down  in  that  holy  place, 
where  there  shall  be  no  more  pollution,  no  more  pride,  no 
more  selfishness,  no  more  disobedience  to  God  ;  where  we 
shall   be   no   more   distressed   with   our  own   sin,   no    more 


80  THE     PREPARATORY     DISCIPLINE. 

pained  with  the  sins  of  others  ?  May  you,  my  dearest 
friend,  be  ripening  more  and  more,  continually,  for  that 
blessed  home." 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"AsHFiELD,  November  22,  1831. 
•  ..... 

"  It  is  wonderful  to  me  how  the  mind,  after  a  state  of  doubt 
and  difficulty,  from  which  it  seemed  impossible  to  be  extri- 
cated, can,  without  any  new  light,  or  new  evidence,  settle 
down  into  a  state  of  calm  and  quiet  decision." 

After  delineating  a  specific  trial,  she  says,  — 

TO    THE    SAME. 

"  Ipswich,  December  3,  1831. 

"  I  begin  to  hesitate  whether  I  have  done  right  to  say  all 
this  to  you,  when  you  cannot  help  me.  But  I  am  not  dis- 
heartened. Every  thing  will  be  right ;  and  I  doubt  not  that 
every  thing  will  be  for  the  best  good  of  this  beloved  institu- 
tion. It  may  be  a  pruning  time  this  winter  ;  but  if  so,  I  trust 
the  goodly  tree  will  take  deeper  root,  and  hereafter  thrive 
more  luxuriantly.  Whatever  temporary  disappointment  and 
hinderance  in  going  forward  we  may  experience,  and  with 
whatever  worldly  prosperity  we  may  be  called  to  part,  0 
that  this  seminary  may  become  more  and  more  a  successful 
instrument  in  advancing  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  !  For  this, 
I  hope  you  will  be  enabled  to  offer  up  fervent  supplication 
from  day  to  day. 

"  I  have  only  given  you  one  side  of  my  present  situation. 
I  could  tell  you  of  blessings  great  and  many,  of  wonderfully 
kind  interpositions  of  Providence.  In  my  labors  and  cares 
the  past  week,  I  have  had  so  many  manifestations  of  the 
goodness  and  kindness  of  God,  that  it  sometimes  seems  as  if 
my  cup  was  full  and  running  over.^' 


LETTEBS  TO  MISS  GBANT.  81 

TO  MISS  GRANT. 

"  Ipswich,  December  28,  1831. 
"  For  a  few  weeks  I  thought  it  might  be  a  good  plan  to 
allow  but  a  very  little  time  for  general  instruction,  except 
what  is  of  immediate  necessity  to  carry  forward  the  business 
of  the  school  properly.  This  was  a  reason,  in  connection 
with  many  others,  for  my  taking  a  class  in  Watts  on  the 
Mind.  I  consider  it  a  privilege  to  teach  this  book.  I  rejoice 
more  and  more  that  I  have  undertaken  it.  This  exercise 
requires  less  care  than  I  anticipated.  I  have  not  yet  had 
time  to  study  my  lessons  as  I  desire  ;  but  I  have  been  able 
to  read  them  over,  and  investigate  so  much,  that  I  could  meet 
my  class  with  a  good  degree  of  freedom  from  embarrass- 
ment. I  have  as  yet  heard  only  three  recitations.  This, 
for  the  present,  answers  instead  of  general  instruction  for 
almost  half  the  school." 

•      TO    THE    SAME, 

"  Ipswich,  January  29,  1832. 
"  I  am  almost  a  stranger  to  lively  faith  and  sensible  com- 
munion with  spiritual  things.  Subjects  of  great  anxiety,  I 
believe,  I  generally  delight  to  commit  to  God  ;  and  I  seem 
to  have  a  reliance  on  him  which  casteth  out  fear.  But  most 
of  these  subjects  are  more  or  less  connected  with  the  world. 
In  view  of  invisible  and  divine  realities,  my  mind  is  dark- 
ened, my  perceptions  feeble,  my  heart  cold  and  stupid.  It 
seems  as  if  such  a  low,  grovelling  worm  of  the  dust  could 
never  be  fitted  for  heaven.  With  men  it  is  impossible,  but 
with  God  all  things  are  possible. 

"  Ever  since  vocal  music  was  introduced  into  our  seminary, 
I  have  had  an  increasing  sense  of  its  great  practical  impor- 
tance. By  our  influence,  and  the  influence  of  our  pupils  on 
this  subject,  probably  hundreds  may  be  benefited  for  a  suc- 
cession of  generations.     Those  who  have  been  able  to  sing 


82  ^  THE    PREPARATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

from  childhood,  do  not  know  by  experience  the  feelings 
which  some  have  who  cannot  sing.  When  passing  near  the 
music-room  last  summer,  and  thinking  that  a  large  part  of 
the  choir,  probably,  had  no  more  of  a  natural  voice  than 
myself,  I  found  it  necessary  to  restrain,  with  firm  determina- 
tion, a  rising  murmur.  I  have  sometimes  felt,  that  I  would 
have  given  six  months  of  my  time,  when  I  was  under  twenty, 
and  defrayed  my  expenses,  difficult  as  it  was  to  find  time  or 
money,  could  I  have  enjoyed  the  privileges  for  learning  vocal 
music  that  some  of  our  pupils  enjoy." 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"Ipswich,  March  18,  1832. 
"  We  are  trying  an  exercise  in  connection  with  Grim- 
shaw's  Etymology.  I  wish  some  way  could  be  contrived  to 
have  the  English  language  studied  with  as  much  intensity  as 
the  Latin  is.  I  have  a  few  floating  ideas  upon  this  subject. 
I  hope  I  shall  do  more  next  summer  than  ever  before  to  en- 
rich the  minds  of  our  pupils  with  a  store  of  English  words, 
associated  with  the  ideas  which  they  were  designed  to  com- 
municate. I  do  think  that  there  is  a  deficiency  on  this  point ; 
but  how  to  remedy  it  is  the  great  question." 

TO    THE    SAME. 

"  Ipswich,  June  21,  1832. 
"The  last  evening  I  was  with  you,  a  little  cloud  of  dis- 
couragement passed  over  qje,  such  as  I  have  scarcely  before 
seen  for  several  months.  But  it  was  soon  gone.  Even  be- 
fore I  left  you,  future  duties  seemed  pleasant.  Whatever 
sphere  or  situation  God  may  appoint,  it  is  enough  if  I  can 
see  the  path  of  duty.  I  doubt  not  you  have  learned,  to  a 
great  extent,  to  depend  on  God  day  by  day  for  your  daily 
bread.  This  lesson  I  desire  to  learn.  How  sweet  it  is  to  be 
directed  from  hour  to  hour,  with  scarce  a  ray  of  light  beyond  ! 
The  darker  the  future,  the  brighter  often  is  faith,  and  the 


LETTERS  TO  MISS  GRANT.  83 

more  firmly  do  we  rely  on  that  arm  which  can  never  fail. 
I  have  oft«^n  found  myself  attempting  to  preserve  the  manna 
till  morning,  but  I  have  never  succeeded.  How  wise  is  the 
economy  of  Providence,  and  the  economy  of  grace  !  How 
should  we  rejoice  that  we  cannot  lay  up  stores  for  ourselves, 
either  of  wisdom  or  of  faith  1 " 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"Ipswich,  July  — ,  1832. 
"  Last  week  my  labors  were  unusually  fatiguing,  and  of 
course  I  have  had  a  headache  generally  in  the  morning, 
which  has  once  or  twice  continued  all  day.  I  do  not  think 
it  will  be  so  this  week.  I  had  a  few  difficult  cases,  impera- 
tively requiring  much  personal  effort,  besides  some  labors  in 
school  which  necessarily  demanded  the  last  particle  of  my 
intellect  and  feeling,  till  I  seemed  to  have  but  just  physical 
strength  enough  left  to  bear  me  home,  just  intellect  enough 
to  think  the  very  small  thoughts  of  a  little  infant,  and  just 
emotion  enough  to  tremble  under  the  shock.  I  had  been 
delaying  some  time,  for  a  convenient  opportunity  to  make 
as  great  an  effort  as  I  was  capable  of  making,  on  the  subject 
of  conscientiousness  in  giving  in  accounts.  I  believe  I  have 
had  some  feeble  desires,  that  in  this  and  all  other  things 
every  will  should  be  bowed ;  that  neither  teachers  nor 
scholars  should  have  any  way  of  their  own,  or  will  of  their 
own,  but  that  all  might  be  swallowed  up  in  the  will  of  God. 
Pray  for  us,  that  in  all  these  things  God  may  be  honored, 
and  that  it  may  be  manifest  to  all  that  the  will  of  God  is 
done.  For  a  few  'days,  I  have  had  a  trying  languor  and 
stupidity,  especially  yesterday.  How  much  of  this  I  should 
attribute  to  the  fatigue  of  last  week,  I  know  not ;  but  I  doubt 
not  that  much  of  it  may  be  ascribed  to  my  own  barrenness 
of  soul.  On  the  whole,  I  have  some  reason  to  hope  that  I 
am  becoming  a  little  less  worldly-minded.  Pray  that  I  may 
set  my  affections  on  things  above. 


84  THE    PREPARATORY   DISCIPLINE. 

*'  Sometimes  my  instruction  in  school  is  so  barren,  and  so 
disconnected,  that  it  distresses  me  all  the  day  long.  But 
perhaps,  more  frequently,  I  remember  these  seasons  with 
some  emotions  of  gratitude,  that,  in  the  midst  of  great  weak- 
ness, infirmity,  and  sinfulness,  the  Lord  is  my  strength  and 
my  Redeemer." 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"Ipswich,  August  17,  1832. 
"  O  that  my  soul  were  in  health  as  my  body  is  !  When 
my  obtuse  intellect  and  more  obtuse  heart  can  perceive  the 
truths  of  the  Bible,  they  seem  exceedingly  precious.  The 
vagueness  of  my  own  mind  is  most  trying,  as  connected  with 
religious  things.  I  often  enjoy  the  anticipation  of  its  not 
being  thus  in  heaven.  What  a  wonder  of  mercy,  if  I  shall  at 
last  find  a  seat  in  that  glorious  world,  where  the  will  of  God 
shall  be  known,  and  loved,  and  obeyed  !  If,  amid  so  many 
deviations,  so  much  lack  in  our  services,  the  little  seasons 
of  conscious  sincerity,  when  we  desire  for  ourselves  and 
others  that  we  may  do  just  what  God  sees  to  be  exactly  ac- 
cording to  his  will,  are  so  precious,  how  glorious  must  heaven 
be  !  Did  we  know  nothing  more  than  that  God  is  there,  and 
that  his  will  is  done  continually  by  all,  it  would  be  enough. 
Do  you  think  it  any  proof  of  great  holiness  in  those  who  shall 
live  in  the  days  of  the  millennium,  that  we  are  taught  to  pray 
that  the  will  of  God  may  be  done  on  earth,  as  it  is  in  heaven  }  " 

TO    MRS.    H.    c.    B. 

"Ipswich,  August  23,  1832. 

" I  enjoyed  my  last  visit  at  your  house  very 

much.  My  kind  regards  to  your  mother  and  to  your  hus- 
band. Much  love  to  the  dear  little  boys.  May  the  family 
covenant,  which  I  trust  has  been  made  in  their  behalf,  be 
remembered  in  heaven.  May  these  children  of  the  church 
never  break  away  from  this  covenant,  so  that  God  shall  cast 
them  off,  as  a  branch  violently  broken   from  the  vine.     For 


LETTERS  TO  MISS  GRANT.  85 

this  may  you  labor,  and  for  this  may  you  pray.  Are  not 
the  promise  and  the  revealed  design  of  God,  concerning  the 
children  of  believers,  suited  to  take  fast  hold  of  the  soul, 
and  to  give  to  faith  a  peculiar  power  ?  Parental  love  is  one 
of  the  strongest  of  the  human  affections  ;  but  how  little  this 
will  accomplish,  compared  with  what  God  can  accomplish  by 
the  aid  he  has  promised  in  the  family  covenant  !  During  the 
past  year,  my  interest  in  thig  subject  has  greatly  increased. 
May  you  have  wisdom  and  grace  to  guide  these  dear  ones, 
whom  the  Lord  has  commanded  you  to  train  up  for  him." 

TO    MISS   GRANT. 

"Ipswich,  September  15,  1832. 
"  A  letter  arrived  this  morning,  stating  the  death  of  my 
dear  sister  Ellsworth,  —  Rosina,  you  have  heard  me  call  her. 
She  was  a  very  dear  sister  to  me. 

"  This  event  of  Providence  is  peculiarly  suited  to  touch 
the  tender  cords  of  my  heart.  She  was  a  kind  of  darling 
among  us  all,  and  among  others  beside  our  family  friends. 
She  has  left  four  little  sons.  Sister  Moore,  in  writing  of  her, 
says,  '  Another  such  blow  cannot  be  struck  in  our  family. 
Among  all  her  numerous  relatives,  none  can  fill  her  place. 
Heartfelt  kindness  marked  her  whole  manner.  It  seemed 
to  reverberate  from  heart  to  heart  the  moment  she  was  an- 
nounced. The  sound  of  her  voice,  like  some  charm,  in 
fused  a  thrill  of  joy,  animating  every  countenance.  Even 
now,  I  seem  to  hear  her  sweet  voice,  and  see  her  animated 
smile,  and  the  welcome  of  her  fine  eyes,  when  lighted  with 
joy  on  seeing  her  friends.' 

"There  is  very  little  prospect  that  my  sister  at  Hartford 
will  ever  be  any  better.  Her  bodily  health  begins  to  be  im- 
paired. She  has  attacks  that  are  rather  epileptic  in  their 
character  ;  and  these,  to  some  extent,  endanger  her  life. 


86  THE    PREPARATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

"  I  went  to  school  this  forenoon  as  usual.  About  half  past 
eleven,  I  was  sent  for  to  see  Miss  Kingsley.*  I  sat  by  her 
dying  bed  most  of  the  time  till  four  o'clock,  when  she  fell 
asleep  in  Jesus.  Some  of  her  dying  words  and  her  dying 
prayers  we  will  send  you.  It  has  been  one  of  the  most 
precious  seasons  I  have  ever  enjoyed.  M.  G.  endeavored  to 
write  some  of  her  words,  to  preserve  for  her  friends,  and 
she  remarked  this  evening  that  it  was  the  happiest  day  of 
her  life." 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"Ipswich,  October  6,  1832. 
"  My  dear  afflicted  sister  has  finished  her  work  and  her 
sufferings.  If  you  made  any  inquiries  at  Hartford,  you 
found  that  she  needed  none  of  your  sympathies.  It  is  a 
great  comfort  to  me,  that  she  was  so  favorably  situated  dur- 
ing the  last  months  of  her  life.  The  care  I  have  had  for 
her,  ever  since  the  death  of  her  husband,  has  been  so  great 
that  it  now  seems  as  if  one  of  the  strong  cords,  which  bound 
me  to  earth,  was  broken  asunder.  The  dispensations  of 
Providence  towards  her  have  been  very  gracious.  She  was 
comfortably  situated  ;  there  was  nothing  peculiarly  trying  in 
her  last  sickness  and  death  ;  and  now,  I  trust,  she  is  sitting 
at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  clothed  and  in  her  right  mind.  My 
mother  has  buried  two  children  in  one  month,  five  hun- 
dred miles  from  each  other." 

TO    THE    SAME. 

"Ipswich,  November  3,  1832. 

" In  observing  how  ignorant  the  disciples 

were  on  some  points,  after  they  had  been  with  Jesus  three 
years,  I  was  reminded  of  our  inability  to  determine  the  way 
by  which  Christ  will  be  most  glorified.  How  easy  it  would 
have  been  for  Christ  to  make  them  understand  that  he  should 

*  A  pupil  from  Brighton,  Massachusetts. 


LETTERS  TO  MISS  GRANT.  87 

rise  from  the  dead  !  But  he  knew  it  was  not  then  best  that 
they  should  understand  this  clearly.  How  little  do  I  know 
what  is  best !  I  can  pray,  without  reserve,  that  the  will  of 
God  may  be  done ;  that  the  kingdom  of  Christ  may  speedily 
come  ;  that  the  events  which  Christ  sees  to  be  best  may  take 
place,  and  that  we  may  have  hearts  to  do  the  whole  will  of 
God.  But  when  I  pray  for  particular  blessings,  I  often  feel 
that  perhaps  I  know  not  what  I  ask  ;  and  it  is  a  delightful 
privilege  to  refer  the  whole  to  God.  I  hope  that  Christians 
in  this  school  may  be  fitted  to  labor  in  the  field  of  Christ. 
May  the  regenerating  influence  of  the  Spirit  be  given,  and 
may  many  be  born  of  God.  How  few  have  been  the  hope- 
ful conversions  the  present  year !  I  was  forcibly  reminded 
of  this  to-day,  when  I  inquired  who  had  made  a  public  pro- 
fession of  religion.  Almost  all,  who  hope  they  are  Chris- 
tians. O,  may  the  Lord  again  return,  and  may  the  showers 
of  divine  grace  descend  as  in  former  days." 

TO    MISS   GRANT. 

"Ipswich,  November  9,  1832. 
"  A  week  ago  to-day,  I  mailed  a  letter  for  you,  which  was 
a  little  later  than  I  designed,  on  account  of  a  severe  cold.  I 
have  now  quite  recovered.  Goodness  and  mercy  follow  me 
continually.  I  feel  so  well  every  morning,  when  I  rise,  that 
I  do  emphatically  enjoy  health,  I  never  was  more  sensible 
of  enjoyment  from  this  source.  My  daily  business,  connected 
with  school,  is  peculiarly  sweet  and  delightful.  I  do  not 
think  I  ever  did  love  a  school  so  much  in  so  short  a  time.  I 
do  not  know  how  it  is,  but  every  thing  is  so  pleasant.  From 
duties  in  prospect  I  have  none  of  that  shrinking  which  I 
often  have.  There  is  an  unusual  evenness  and  uniformity 
in  my  feelings,  freedom  from  excitement,  or  any  rising 
above  the  common  level.  My  cup  is  full  and  running  over, 
and  every  future  labor,  or  future  scene,  seems  all  that  I 
could  desire.     I  often  say  to  myself, '  How  sweet  are  all  my 


88  THE   PREPARATORY   DISCIPLINE, 

labors  !  how  sweet  is  life  ! '  In  what  I  have  said,  I  have  not 
referred  to  religious  enjoyment.  I  find  great  cause  for  daily 
repentance  in  the  sight  of  God.  Though  I  often  walk  in 
darkness,  and  see  no  light,  I  am  not  left  to  wander  long 
without  any  light.  In  my  own  experience  I  have  abundant 
evidence  that  the  Savior  is  ready,  not  only  to  forgive  seven 
times,  but  until  seventy  times  seven.  I  have  been  very 
much  interested,  within  a  few  days,  in  some  parts  of  Scrip- 
ture which  treat  of  the  forgiveness  of  sin.  How  boundless 
is  the  love  of  Christ  in  the  way  of  pardon  !  How  inexpres- 
sibly great  and  glorious  is  this  subject !  During  a  few 
months  past,  I  have  learned  a  little  of  the  minor  prophets. 
I  have  just  commenced  reading  these  books.  I  am  now 
reading  Hosea.  The  figurative  language  in  the  second 
chapter  is  exceedingly  forcible.  How  strikingly  are  de- 
scribed the  treachery,  ingratitude,  unreasonableness,  and 
wickedness  of  spiritual  departures  from  God  !  How  ex- 
ceedingly sinful  is  sin  !  How  deserving  of  all  the  judg- 
ments denounced  against  it !  But  the  boundless  love  and 
mercy  of  God,  as  exhibited  in  the  promises  contained  in  this 
chapter,  I  think  most  wonderful ;  and  so  of  all  the  promises 
to  guilty  sinners.  How  very  interesting  that  Peter  should 
receive  an  assurance  that,  though  Satan  had  desired  to  sift 
him  as  wheat,  Jesus  had  prayed  for  him,  that  his  faith  might 
not  fail !  Our  Mediator  will  never  leave  the  weakest  nor  the 
most  unworthy  of  his  followers.  He  has  undertaken  in  their 
behalf.  He  has  begun  their  salvation,  and  he  will  complete 
it.  How  safe  it  is  to  trust  in  him  !  Here  is  all  our  confi- 
dence, all  our  hope.  Here  is  an  unfailing  fountain.  May 
we,  my  dear  friend,  both  of  us  be  permitted  to  rest  under 
the  shadow  of  his  wings.  May  we  walk  with  the  Savior  day 
by  day,  hear  his  voice,  and  listen  to  his  words.  May  we  feel 
as  he  would  have  us  feel,  think  as  he  would  have  us  think, 
Bpeak  as  he  would  have  us  speak,  and  do  what  he  would 
have  us  do.     It  is,  indeed,  a  precious  privilege  to  live,  if  we 


GENERAL    INSTKUCTIONS.  89 

can  have  a  single  eye  to  the  glory  of  God.  I  want  you 
should  pray  for  me  daily,  that  I  may  have  a  heart  filled  with 
love  to  Christ,  that  I  may  have  a  zeal  according  to  knowl- 
edge in  laboring  in  his  service,  and  that  I  may  have  wisdom 
from  above  to  direct  me  in  the  right  path.  Pray  that  our 
teachers  may  be  holy,  devoted  to  God,  and  faithful  in  his 
service  ;  that  we  may  none  of  us  be  entangled  in  the  things 
of  this  world  ;  that  we  may  all  be  able  so  to  connect  our 
temporal  duties  with  the  great  business  of  eternity  that  they 
shall  not  prove  a  snare." 

During  Miss  Grant's  absence,  it  was  customary  for  the 
teachers  to  send  her  full  accounts  of  the  arrangements  of  the 
school,  Miss  Lyon's  instructions,  dsc.  A  few  disconnected 
paragraphs,  containing  some  of  her  remarks,  are  given  herel 

"  Miss  Lyon  said  to  us  one  day,  in  school,  that  if  we  were 
unhappy,  it  was  probably  because  we  had  so  many  thoughts 
about  ourselves,  and  so  few  about  the  happiness  of  others. 
She  asked  us  to  call  to  mind  an  unhappy  day,  and  inquire 
whether  we,  during  that  day,  had  had  large  desires  for  the 
conversion  of  the  world.  She  also  said  that,  at  one  period 
of  her  hfe,  she  used  to  be  dejected  and  unhappy  ;  but  she 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  there  was  too  much  to  be  done  for 
her  to  spend  time  in  that  manner.  Since  that,  she  had  ex- 
perienced but  little  unhappiness." 

To  find  the  path  of  duty,  "  Take  all  the  circumstances, 
and  weigh  them  candidly,  taking  the  Bible  for  your  guide, 
and  asking  God  to  enlighten  your  mind.  If  you  sincerely 
and  patiently  wait  on  him,  light  ivill  eventually  dawn  on 
your  path.  It  may,  at  first,  be  but  a  faint  glimmer ;  and 
you  may  see  but  one  step  where  you  can  place  your 
foot ;  but  take  that,  and  another  will  then  be  discovered, 
and  if  you  can  see  one  step  at  a  time,  it  is  all  you  ought 
to  ask." 

"  Miss  Lyon  said  last  night,  she  thought  she  knew  the 
8* 


90  THE    PREPAKATOKY    DISCIPLINE. 

definite  lessons,  which  the  death  of  her  sister  and  of  Miss 
Kingsley  was  sent  to  teach  her;  one,  to  pray  more;  another, 
to  leave  nothing  undone  of  all  her  duty  to  her  personal 
friends,  her  relatives,  and  others." 

"  I  never  knew,  till  last  Saturday  night,  that  the  command 
to  love  God  in  the  decalogue  was  negative.  Do  you  sup- 
pose, as  Miss  Lyon  suggested,  that  God  said  to  the  Israelites, 
'  Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  before  me,'  because  they 
could  understand  much  better  how  to  pluck  away  the  idols, 
than  how  exactly  to  exercise  the  emotion  of  love  .''  and  does 
he  require  us  to  break  away  from  idols,  and,  as  soon  as  we 
have  done  it,  enthrone  himself  in  our  hearts  }  " 

Notwithstanding  Miss  Lyon's  engrossing  cares,  it  is  grati- 
fying to  find  that  her  continued  affection  and  her  unwearied 
kindness  to  her  relatives  and  friends  were  wisely  directed. 
This,  and  other  manifestations,  show  that  her  superiority  of 
intellect  did  not  overshadow  her  largeness  of  heart.  It  is 
recollected  by  many  how  she  watched  over  the  infant  child 
of  her  youngest  sister,  which  died  but  a  few  days  before  its 
mother ;  how  she  nursed  it  with  her  own  hands,  and  ever 
spoke  of  it  with  animation,  as  in  the  infant  chgir  above.  She 
also  interested  herself  in  the  children  of  her  friends,  as  she 
visited  them  from  time  to  time. 

The  afflicted  family  of  her  sister  Putnam  shared  largely 
in  her  pecuniary  favors,  as  well  as  in  her  affection  and  care. 
No  pains  were  spared  by  her  to  place  the  children  in  fami- 
lies where  they  would  be  under  a  good  influence ;  and  until 
such  places  could  be  found,  she  paid  the  board  of  one  or 
more  of  them,  although  there  was  a  small  property  to  be 
divided  among  them.  She  also  assisted  in  paying  the  board 
of  her  sister  for  many  months,  when  it  was  thought  best  to 
separate  her  from  her  family  without  sending  her  to  the  hos- 
pital. The  following  extract  from  letters  to  her  mother, 
after  the,  death  of  her  sister,  will  show  what  she  did  for 
her  at  the  hospital :  — 


LETTER    TO    A    NIECE.  91 

"  I  have  received  from  Hartford  an  accurate  account  of 
sister  Putnam's  expenses.  I  shall  pay  all  her  regular  bills, 
and  the  extra  charges  for  nursing  and  watching.  There  are 
some  other  expenses  which  I  thought  it  might  be  best  to 
take  from  her  own  funds,  so  that  I  can  have  more  for  some 
other  purposes.  I  feel  that  what  I  have,  should  be  devoted  to 
the  best  of  objects.  After  every  thing  is  properly  settled,  I 
should  think  it  best  that  the  remaining  property  of  sister 
P.  should  be  equally  divided  among  the  children.',' 

Most  of  her  nieces,  of  adult  age,  enjoyed  her  instructions 
at  South  Hadley  one  year  or  more.  One  of  them  writes 
that  the  influence  she  exerted  over  them,  in  early  life,  in 
causing  them  to  be  educated,  and  in  raising  higher  their 
tone  of  piety,  can  be  known  and  acknowledged  only  by  their 
own  grateful  hearts.  A  letter  to  one  of  them,  written  at 
Ipswich,  in  1832,  will  show  the  motives  she  held  be- 
fore them. 

"  Mr  DEAR  A. : 

"  In  advising  you  what  course  to  take  in  future,  I  should 
be  guided  very  much  by  your  own  views  and  feelings  about 
giving  up  yourself  to  do  good  —  to  do  all  you  can  to  render 
those  with  whom  you  may  be  connected  better  and  happier. 
I  used  to  think  much  about  leading  my  friends  to  endeavor 
to  educate  themselves,  that  they  might  take  a  more  respec- 
table position  in  society.  This  is  comparatively  of  little  im- 
portance. There  is  a  great  work  to  be  performed  before 
that  time  shall  come  which  is  foretold,  and  many  hands  are 
needed  to  be  employed  in  this  work ;  not  only  those  of  min- 
isters and  missionaries,  but  also  of  females.  The  labor  to 
be  done  seems  greater  and  greater  every  year ;  perhaps  I 
may  say  every  month  and  every  week.  How  much  is  to  be 
done  by  influence,  in  a  variety  of  ways  !  How  much  preju- 
dice to  be  removed  !     What  an  almost  endless  catalogue  of 


92  THE    PREPARATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

evils  exists  among  the  middle-aged  and  youth  of  the  present 
generation  !  And  the  children  will  follow  on  in  their  steps, 
unless  some  greater  and  more  powerful  influence  is  used.  I 
do  most  ardently  desire  that  laborers  may  be  raised  up,  pos- 
sessing willing  hearts  and  a  self-denying  spirit.  Teachers 
of  the  right  character  can  do  much. 

"  Now,  my  dear  niece,  will  you  not,  in  a  measure,  for- 
get self,  and  decide  to  give  yourself  wholly  to  the  service 
of  the  Lord,  to  labor  in  his  vineyard,  wherever  he  shall  call, 
and  '  whatsoever  you  do,  to  do  it  heartily  as  unto  the  Lord, 
and  not  unto  men '  ?  If  this  is  your  decision,  and  you  have 
evidence  that  you  possess  a  tolerable  aptness  for  teaching, 
and  can  obtain  your  mother's  consent,  (do  nothing  without 
your  mother's  consent,)  I  should  think  it  might  be  your  duty 
to  make  even  a  great  pecuniary  sacrifice,  in  order  by  that 
means  to  be  prepared  to  do  the  greater  good.  You  need 
that  skill  in  exercising  moral  power  over  others  which  you 
cannot  possess  without  a  thoroughly  cultivated  mind,  and 
cultivated  on  the  best  principles.  If  your  object  is  to  devote 
yourself  wholly  to  the  service  of  God,  and  to  labor  to  pro- 
mote his  glory  by  increasing  human  excellence  and  human 
happiness,  I  advise  you,  by  all  means,  to  bear  the  expenses 
of  the  journey,  and  come  here  to  school. 

"  Your  tuition  will  be  twenty-five  dollars  a  year.  I  will 
give  you  enough  to  pay  your  tuition  bills  while  here,  without 
any  charge,  except  the  charge  in  Heb.  xiii.  16.  I  should  be 
glad  to  do  more  for  you  in  this  way,  but,  consistently  with 
prior  obligations,  I  cannot.  I  will  endeavor  to  help  you  plan 
and  economize,  and  if  it  should  be  best  that  I  should  fur^ 
nish  you  with  more  funds,  I  should  expect  that  you  would 
pay  me  interest  and  principal  when  able. 

"  May  you  be  guided  in  the  path  of  duty,  which  is  the 
path  of  peace." 


LETTERS.  93 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"Ipswich,  January  15,  1833. 
"  Is  it  indeed  so,  that  your  dear  sister  has  gone,  to  dwell 
forever  with  the  Savior  ?  It  is  pleasant  to  think  how  many, 
whom  we  have  tenderly  loved,  have,  during  the  last  year, 
gone  home  to  glory,  and  are  now  enjoying  that  which  eye 
hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard.  It  brings  the  heavenly  world 
very  near.  May  we  both  be  preparing  for  that  everlasting 
rest.  But  it  is  a  great  privilege  to  live  and  labor  in  the 
cause  of  Christ." 

ON    A    SCHOOL    CIRCULAR. TO    THE    SAME. 

"  I  am  afraid  that  their  school  will  be  suited  only  to  the 
higher  class,  which  in  every  part  of  our  country  is  a  very 
small  class ;  that  their  plans  will  promote  distinctions  in  so- 
ciety ;  and  that,  in  their  view,  the  improvement  of  the  masses 
is  but  a  small  consideration.  But  on  the  whole,  I  am  glad 
they  are  about  to  commence.  I  trust  they  will  do  much 
more  good  than  harm.  They  will  lead  their  pupils  to  gain 
kiiowledge.  They  will  teach  the  Bible  too,  and  I  hope  they 
will  be  careful  to  let  the  Bible  take  the  lead.  Then  I  care 
not  how  closely  intellectual  philosophy  follows  after." 

TO    HER    MOTHER. 

"Ipswich,  January,  1833. 

"  I  should  be  glad  to  have  you  write  to  me,  and  tell  me  all 
you  know  respecting  the  religious  state  and  character  of  your 
descendants.  I  wish  to  obtain  and  preserve  their  names  and 
ages,  and  keep  a  record  of  their  deaths,  as  they  may  occur. 
I  should  be  glad  to  keep  some  account  of  the  evidence  of 
piety  there  is  among  them.  May  they  all  be  brought  into  the 
ark  of  safety  ;  and  whatever  may  be  their  temporal  condi- 
tion, may  they  bear  the  image  of  our  Lord  and  Savior  Jesua 
Christ.  Will  you,  my  dear  mother,  pray  particularly  for 
your  children,  that  they  may  all  be  wholly  devoted  to  the 


94  THE     PREPARATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

service  of  God  ;  that  they  may  let  their  light  so  shine,  that 
others,  and  especially  those  over  whom  they  shall  have  an 
influence,  may  take  knowledge  of  them,  that  they  have  been 
with  Jesus  ?  How  small  a  thing  is  the  greatest  worldly  pros- 
perity, compared  with  the  blessing  of  true  piety  in  those  so 
near  to  your  heart ! 

"  There  are  a  few  cases  in  school  of  more  than  usual 
religious  interest.  Our  whole  number  is  one  hundred. 
About  half  are  either  professors  of  religion,  or  indulge  a 
hope  that  they  are  Christians.  I  hope  you  will  pray  for  us 
daily,  that  all  who  love  the  Savior  may  become  his  decided, 
active,  and  devoted  followers ;  and  that  all  who  do  not  now 
love  God  may  give  their  hearts  to  him,  and  be  prepared  for 
his  service.  How  much  is  to  be  done  in  this  dark  and 
wicked  world,  before  all  will  know  and  love  the  Lord  !  O 
that  a  great  multitude  of  laborers  might  be  speedily  raised 
up !  The  field  is  white  already  to  the  harvest.  May  your 
life  be  spared  many  years  to  pray  for  the  prosperity  of  Zion." 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"Ipswich,  January  23,  1833. 
"  It  sometimes  seems  as  if  I  had  no  place  in  my  letters  for 
small  matters,  there  are  so  many  great  things  demanding 

immediate  attention I  enjoy  acknowledging 

God  at  our  meals  very  much.  I  never  before  realized  so 
constantly  his  good  hand  in  temporal  blessings  as  since  we 
commenced  this  exercise.  Before  the  first  attempt,  the  trial 
became  greater  and  greater  every  hour.  After  commencing, 
it  gradually  lessened  from  meal  to  meal,  till  now  I  feel  that 
the  privilege  far  overbalances  the  trial. 

"  I  have  just  commenced  giving  instruction  on  the  Epistles 
of  Peter.  We  have  had  two  exercises,  three  verses  each. 
I  have  looked  forward  to  studying  and  teaching  these  Epistles 
as  a  kind  of  feast.     But  the  commencement  is  more  precious 


LETTERS.  95 

than  I  anticipated.  O  that  I  might  have  a  heart  to  receive 
into  my  inmost  soul  the  glorious  truths  which  emanate  from 
many  a  '  radiant  point ' !  The  good  Mr.  Shepard,  of  Cam- 
bridge, on  his  dying  bed,  mentioned  to  the  young  ministers 
around  him  three  things  concerning  himself — '  That  the 
study  of  every  sermon  cost  him  tears ;  that  before  he 
preached  any  sermon  he  got  good  by  it  himself;  that  he 
always  went  into  the  pulpit  as  if  he  were  to  give  up  his 
account  to  his  Master.' " 

TO  MES.   H.   c.   B. 

"Ipswich,  May  14,  1833. 
"  I  doubt  not  you  will  be  glad  to  receive  from  my  pen  a 
few  thoughts,  though  hastily  written.  A  week  ago  yesterday 
I  put  your  name  on  a  list  with  nearly  twenty  others,  to 
whom  I  wished  to  write  forthwith.  To  tell  the  truth,  I  have 
been  so  immersed  in  cares  for  two  or  three  months,  and  my 
brain  has  been  so  strained  to  keep  in  mind  present  duties,  and 
not  to  forget  any  thing  important,  that  it  has  often  seemed  as 
if  things  and  circumstances  which  were  not  needed  for 
present  use  would  be  not  only  forgotten  at  the  time,  but  even 
obliterated  from  my  memory.  For  a  week  past,  in  my 
chamber  alone,  in  a  straightforward  course  of  business,  in 
the  midst  of  letters,  papers,  &c.,  I  have  been  resting  at  a 
great  rate.  It  does  seem  as  if  I  never  gained  so  much 
mental  rest  in  a  week  before  in  my  life.  I  have  had  a  most 
curious  vacation  in  respect  to  calling  to  mind  things  and  cir- 
cumstances which  I  had  not  thought  of  for  weeks,  and  which 
seemed  entirely  forgotten.  To  myself  I  seem  almost  like 
one  coming  to  life." 

TO   MISS  H.  w. 

"  Ipswich,  May  23,  1833. 

" Our  dear  Mr.  Emerson  has  gone  home 

to  reap  his  everlasting  reward.     He  died  last  week.    During 


96  THE  PKEPAKATOKT  DISCIPLINE. 

most  of  his  sickness,  his  intellect  was  clear,  and  his  soul  in 
a  heavenly  frame.  I  love  to  think  of  him  as  in  heaven. 
Who  was  better  prepared  to  enjoy  the  delights  of  the 
heavenly  world  ?     May  the  living  walk  in  his  steps. 

"  My  affectionate  regards  to  your  parents  and  all  the 
family." 

Miss  Lyon  having  had  charge  of  the  school  during  Miss 
Grant's  sickness  and  absence,  she  now,  in  her  turn,  consented 
to  spend  the  summer  of  1833  in  recreation,  and  for  the 
preservation  of  her  own  health. 

In  her  absence,  she  kept  up  a  constant  correspondence 
with  Miss  G.,  and  from  these  familiar  conversations  on  paper 
a  few  extracts  are  here  given.  Her  first  letter  is  from  New 
York,  to  which  place  she  went  by  way  of  Boston,  having 
gone  there  to  be  present  at  the  sailing  of  a  company  of  mis- 
sionaries. As  her  name  was  afterwards  much  identified 
with  the  cause  of  missions,  it  is  pleasant  to  trace  the  progress 
of  her  mind  on  this  subject. 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"  New  York,  July  8,  1833. 

" On  my  way  I  was  introduced  to  Mrs.  L.,  who 

had  been  to  Boston  to  bid  a  second  daughter  farewell,  to  go  and 
labor  in  Ceylon.  I  was  exceedingly  gratified  with  her  spirit. 
She  appears  like  a  mother  who  would  strengthen  the  hands 
and  encourage  the  hearts  of  her  children  in  the  path  of  duty. 
Fourteen  years  ago  she  went  to  Boston  to  bid  an  older 
daughter  farewell.  The  daughter  now  gone  was  then  about 
six  years  of  age,  and  remembers  but  little  of  her  sister. 
Mrs.  L.  feels  that  she  is  sending  this  daughter  to  a  mother,  and 
hopes  that  they  will  be  assigned  to  the  same  field  of  labor. 
She  remarked,  that  when  she  viewed  the  subject  of  giving  up 
her  daughter  as  a  whole^  she  could  rejoice  and  be  thankful ; 


LETTER   TO   MISS   GRANT.  97 

but  that  when  she  directed  her  mind  to  the  particulars,  na- 
ture sometimes  recoiled. 

"  Sabbath  evening,  the  missionaries  received  their  instruc- 
tions from  the  prudential  committee,  and  sailed  on  Monday 
I  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  being  present  on  both  occasions. 
The  scene  on  board  the  vessel,  on  Monday,  was  calm  and 
lovely.  Every  countenance  seemed  softened  with  tender- 
ness, and  yet  almost  every  one  reflected,  in  some  degree, 
the  elevated  joy,  so  strikingly  manifested  by  the  departing 
missionaries. 

"  The  monthly  concert,  on  Monday  evening,  was  interest- 
ing, as  it  always  is  in  Boston.  Dr.  Wisner  drew  some  com- 
parisons between  the  missions  in  Ceylon  and  in  certain  other 
places.  He  remarked  that,  at  some  stations  under  the  board, 
the  work  had  gone  on  so  rapidly  that,  as  might  be  expected, 
there  is  more  appearance  of  religion  than  reality  ;  and, 
therefore,  there  probably  will  be  reaction.  Not  so  in  Cey- 
lon.    Every  inch  that  is  gained  seems  secure. 

"  I  should  like  to  know  more  than  I  do  about  the  Ceylon 
missions,  and,  indeed,  about  all  the  other  missionary  oper- 
ations." 

TO    MISS    GRANT 

"Philadelphia,  July  10,  1833. 
"  Yesterday  I  came  to  this  place.  I  rose  in  the  morning 
with  the  headache,  which  increased  till  I  reached  Amboy. 
When  I  took  the  railroad  car,  my  seat  was  rather  confined  ; 
the  motion  of  the  carriage  increased  the  pain  in  my  head, 
and  produced  an  excessive  nervous  restlessness.  It  did 
seem  as  if  I  could  not  go  forward  ;  but  still  I  must.  I  had 
no  protector,  no  one  to  take  care  of  my  baggage,  and  en- 
gage a  hack  after  I  should  arrive.  I  felt,  emphatically,. that 
I  was  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land. 

"  After  I  reached  the  steamboat,  I  was,  in  some  measure, 
relieved  ;  but  O,  the  noise  atid  confusion  of  men  and  women 
9 


98.  THE    PREPARATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

of  all  descriptions;  the  crying  of  children  from  every  quar- 
ter—  on  deck,  in  the  cabin,  and  in  every  direction.  But 
when  I  arrived  at  Philadelphia,  I  found  a  carriage  without 
perplexity,  which  took  me  to  the  door  of  Miss  E.,  where  I 
find  a  quiet  resting-place. 

"  Little  incidents  are  constantly  occurring,  which  remind 
me  of  the  goodness  and  mercy  of  God.  Pray  for  me,  that 
I  may  this  summer  be  led  in  a  way  which  shall  bring  me 
nearer  to  God  than  I  have  ever  been.  Pray  that  this  may- 
be the  end  of  every  dispensation  of  Providence  towards  me  ; 
that  every  thing  may  be  sanctified  by  the  influence  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  on  my  heart,  without  which  every  means  will 
be  lost.  O  that  my  whole  soul  might  be  conformed  to  the 
blessed  image  of  our  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus  Christ,  and  that 
I  may  bring  forth  fruit  to  his  honor  and  glory  1 

"  Dr.  Spring  gave  a  most  excellent  sermon,  last  Sabbath, 
from  Heb.  xii.  1,  "Let  us  lay  aside  every  weight,  and  the 
sin  which  doth  so  easily  beset  us."  The  sermon  was  to 
Christians,  and  drawn  directly  from  the  text.  I  would  that  1 
might  not  lose  the  impression  of  the  truths  contained  in  this 
sermon.  I  hope  the  Lord  will  enable  me  to  improve  the 
means  of  grace  this  summer,  wherever  I  may  be." 

Here  she  was  taken  sick  ;  and,  after  describing  her  situa- 
tion minutely,  she  says,  with  her  characteristic  frankness, — 

"  I  have  written  this  page  just  for  my  own  comfort,  not  for 
your  profit.  I  am  not  cast  down ;  I  have  no  painful  so- 
licitude. 

"  I  do  not  think  highly  enough  of 's  Grammar  to 

use  it  again.  There  is  a  lack  of  elevation  and  character 
about  it.     It  is  more  like   the  work  of  a  smart,  ingenious 

schoolmaster,  than  of  a  man  of  fine  literary  taste.     's 

Grammar  is  too  much  of  the  same  character.  What  do  you 
know  about 's  Grammar  ?     I  have  had  it  in  mv  heart 


LETTER    TO    MISS    GRANT.  99 

to  examine  it  as  thoroughly  as  I  am  capable  of  doing,  but  I 
have  not  done  it.  I  do  not,  however,  expect  to  be  satisfied. 
He  is  too  loose  a  writer  to  make  a  good  grammar.  He  may 
possibly  have  done  more  to  make  this  edition  what  it  should 
be  than  he  did  the  first ;  but  a  man  that  can  write  a  book 
for  children  loosely  can  scarcely  be  expected  to  make  a 
grammar  what  it  ought  to  be." 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"Philadelphia,  July  22,  1833. 

"  On  Friday  morning,  I  went  with  Dr.  B.  to  the  United 
States  mint,  and  to  the  porcelain  manufactory.  I  value 
these  two  visits  highly.  In  the  afternoon,  I  went  with  Miss 
E.  to  the  House  of  Refuge.  The  girls  were  assembled,  and 
onei  who  was  of  age,  was  that  day  to  leave.  They  sang  a 
parting  hymn,  and  many  of  the  girls  were  affected  to  tears. 
The  neat,  whitewashed  little  rooms  and  clean  beds,  the 
orderly  circle  of  cleanly  and  decently-clad  girls,  and  the 
general  air  of  neatness,  order,  and  system  came  up  in  my 
mind,  in  striking  contrast  with  the  many  dirty  hovels  which 
I  have  often  passed,  and  the  filthy  children,  the  confusion, 
disorder,  and  misrule  generally  attendant  on  such  habita- 
tions. That  heart  must  be  very  hard  which  cannot  rise  m 
gratitude  to  a  kind  and  good  Providence  for  making  such 
provision  for  poor,  outcast  children  of  wicked,  degraded 
parents.  '  O  that  men  would  praise  the  Lord  for  his  good- 
ness, and  for  his  wonderful  works  to  the  children  of  men  ! ' 
We  were  late,  and  our  time  limited.  On  that  account,  we 
did  not  visit  the  boys'  department. 

"  From  the  House  of  Refuge  we  went  to  the  Penitentiary. 
What  abundant  evidence  have  we  every  where  of  the  wick- 
edness and  guilt  of  man!  Man  is  emphatically  the  enemy 
of  man.  How  little,  comparatively,  have  we  to  fear  from 
the  fiercest  of  the  brute  creation !    As  it  is  only  man  that  we 


100  THE    PREPARATORY   DISCIPLINE. 

fear,  and  he  only  is  our  enemy,  what  cause  have  we  for 
gratitude  that  the  ingenuity  and  skill  of  man  are  combined 
for  our  defence ! 

"  Saturday  we  visited  the  Old  State  House,  Independence 
Hall,  &c.  It  was  a  clear  day,  and  we  had  a  fine  view  of 
the  city,  though,  after  the  business  of  Friday,  we  found  il 
rather  fatiguing  to  ascend  the  many  steps.  President  Jack- 
son was  received  in  Independence  Hall,  which  was  richly 
furnished  for  the  occasion. 

"  Our  course  led  us  next  to  the  navy  yard,  to  see  the 
wonderful  ship,  (the  Pennsylvania,)  which  truly  exoeeded  all 
my  ideas  of  its  magnitude.  I  expected  to  see  a  great 
vessel,  but  not  such  a  mighty  fabric.  We  ascended  the 
many  flights  of  steps  to  overlook  the  deck,  and  felt  ourselves 
richly  rewarded  for  our  efforts. 

"  A  visit  to  the  New  Marine  Hospital  completed  the  busi- 
ness of  the  forenoon.  The  architecture  of  this  edifice  ex- 
ceeds that  of  any  other  I  have  visited.  If  you  have  seen  it, 
you  doubtless  observed  the  plan  for  ventilation.  The  walls 
of  the  chambers  adjoining  the  passage  do  not  extend  entirely 
up,  and  yet  the  beautiful,  white,  polished  arching  overhead 
is  such  as  to  give  an  appearance  slightly  deceptive,  so  that, 
at  first  view,  this  aperture  for  ventilation  would  not  be  ob- 
served. I  would  that  it  abounded  in  as  rich  provision  for  the 
soul  as  for  the  body. 

"  In  the  afternoon,  we  visited  the  Academy  of  Natural 
Science.  I  closed  the  week,  greatly  interested  during  the 
last  three  days,  in  fine  health,  except  some  little  suffering 
in  muscles  and  sinews." 

The  following  extracts  from  her  letters,  while  visiting  some 
of  the  fine  scenery  of  our  country,  are  given  simply  to  show 
her  interest  in  natural  objects  :  — 


LETTER  TO  MISS  GRANT.  101 

TO  MISS  GRANT. 

"  Catskill  Mountain,  August  8,  1833. 

" I  remember  that,  for  my  own  sake,  you 

are  more  desirous  I  should  dwell  on  what  I  see  and  hear 
than  on  the  seminary  at  home,  in  which  my  heart  is  so  much 
interested,  but  about  which  I  have  not  indulged  one  moment's 
anxiety  since  I  left  you.  I  see  enough  to  make  my  letters 
interesting  ;  but  these  fragments  of  time,  so  few  and  so  short, 
are  worth  but  little  in  trying  to  recall  and  describe  what  I 
have  seen  and  heard.  And  even  if  I  had  sufficient  time,  I 
have  so  little  tact,  that  it  seems  to  me  my  letters,  of  all 
things,  must  be  the  most  insipid. 

"  I  am  now  twenty-two  hundred  feet  above  the  Hudson, 
on  one  of  the  peaks  of  the  Catskill  Mountains,  termed  Pine 
Orchard,  snugly  settled  in  a  pleasant  chamber  in  the  '  Moun- 
tain House.' 

"  The  Catskill  is  indeed  a  delightful  chain  of  mountains. 
I  have  been  favored  with  fine  prospects  of  it  at  various  points. 
This  afternoon,  we  have  taken  a  drive  to  see  one  of  the 
mighty  wonders  of  nature.  As  from  different  situations  we 
behold  the  broad  sides,  the  various  summits,  and  numerous 
peaks  of  the  mountain,  the  whole  seems  like  a  vast  ocean 
of  luxuriant  green  ;  at  one  time,  waving  gently  with  the 
undulating  breeze ;  at  another,  rolled  and  tossed  by  the 
mighty  tempest  into  lofty  billows  and  deep  gulfs. 

"  The  highest  peaks  of  the  Catskills  are  from  eight  to 
twelve  miles  distant  from  the  Hudson.  The  two  highest  are 
Round  Top,  three  thousand  eight  hundred  and  four  feet 
above  the  river;  and  High  Peak,  three  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  eighteen  feet.  Pine  Orchard,  on  which  we  are 
situated,  furnishes  a  most  extensive  prospect.  The  '  Moun- 
tain House '  stands  near  the  brink  of  a  precipice,  with  a 
bold,  commanding  front.     It  is  indeed  a  delightful  spot. 

"  The  nearer  scenery  is  composed  of  the  neighboring 
peaks  of  the  same  grand  chain.     On  one  hand,  they  rise 
9* 


102  THE   PREPARATORY   DISCIPLINE. 

with  a  familiar  nearness  ;  on  the  other,  they  recede  to  a 
more  respectful  distance.  On  one  side,  we  behold  neighbor- 
ing summits,  rising  high  above  our  heads ;  on  another,  we 
cast  our  eye  downwards  on  the  waving  tops  of  the  thick 
trees,  with  their  rolling  surface  ;  while  in  a  third  direction, 
rival  mountains  seem  to  unite,  tipped  with  the  blue  summits 
of  more  distant  and  higher  peaks, 

"  The  more  distant  scenery  embraces  the  rich  and  exten- 
sive valley  of  the  Hudson.  The  view  is  said  to  extend 
about  one  hundred  miles  in  length  and  fifty  in  breadth.  But 
I  will  not  attempt  to  tell  you  of  the  finely-cultivated  fields,  en- 
closed by  neat,  regular  fences  ;  nor  of  the  towns,  villages,  and 
cottages  scattered  over  the  whole  prospect ;  nor  of  the  beau- 
tiful groves,  whose  rich  foliage  at  this  season  finely  contrasts 
with  the  sterile  appearance  of  the  neighboring  fields,  just  dis- 
robed by  the  hand  of  the  reaper ;  nor  of  the  long  and  wind- 
ing course  of  the  Hudson,  whitened  with  sails,  ornamented 
with  islands,  and  lined  with  villages,  trees,  and  wooded 
embankments. 

"  I  noticed  the  first  impression  on  my  fellow-passengers, 
as  we  ascended  a  very  long  flight  of  steps  into  an  elevated 
piazza,  fronting  the  valley  of  the  Hudson.  Scarcely  look- 
ing after  their  baggage,  almost  all,  with  one  consent,  stopped 
to  admire  and  wonder.  In  the  spacious  drawing-room  within, 
the  numerous  visitors  seemed  full  of  glee  ;  but  without,  in 
the  piazza,  and  on  the  broad,  flat,  projecting  rocks  around 
the  house,  the  low  voice  and  sweet  stillness  reminded  me  of 
a  company  in  a  gallery  of  paintings." 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"BoFFALO,  August  31,  1833 

"  I  hastened  away  from  the  Falls  yesterday,  without  being 

half  satisfied  ;  with  the  hope  that,  by  leaving  then,  I  should 

be  able,  either  by  stage  or  by  steamboat,  to  reach  my  sister 

in  Fredonia  before  the  Sabbath.    The  stage,  instead  of  going 


LETTER    TO    MISS    GRANT.  103 

this  morning,  as  I  expected,  will  not  leave  until  four  this 
afternoon,  and,  of  course,  will  travel  most  of  the  night.  As 
it  is  rainy,  the  boat  will  not  touch  at  Dunkirk  at  all.  My 
conscience  will  not  allow  me  to  take  the  stage  and  travel  all 
Saturday  night,  if  I  abide  by  the  rule,  '  not  to  do  any  thing 
of  which  1  doubt  the  propriety,  unless  I  equally  doubt  the 
propriety  of  not  doing  it.'  So  here  I  am,  and  must  stay 
here,  for  aught  I  see,  until  Monday. 

"  I  have  many  things  on  hand,  with  which  I  should  be 
glad  to  fill  this  sheet.  Perhaps  you  may  expect  that  I  should 
tell  you  something  of  the  great  Niagara,  or,  rather,  that  I 
should  tell  you  how  this  exhibition  of  the  power  of  God  af- 
fected my  mind.  1  cannot  tell  you  any  thing  about  it.  I 
have  heard  so  many  things  said  by  one  and  another  who  vis- 
ited the  Falls  ;  one  saying,  '  You  will  be  disappointed ; ' 
another,  '  You  will  not  be  disappointed,  if  you  stay  long 
enough  ; '  a  third,  '  I  do  not  think  it  exceeds  this  object,  or 
that ; '  and  a  fourth,  *  You  never  will  wish  to  see  any  thing 

*more  ;  every  grand  object  will  lose  its  charms  after  your 
visit  to  Niagara.'  I  have  heard  many  compare  it  to  fleeces 
of  cotton,  to  banks  of  falling  snow,  to  the  dashing  of  ocean 
waves,  to  the  roaring  of  thunder,  &c.     I  feared  that  I  should 

.be  unable  to  feel  the  soul-moving  power,  and  I  had  an  ar- 
dent desire  that  I  might  not  acknowledge,  even  to  myself, 
any  second-hand  emotions,  any  influence  which  did  not  af- 
fect my  own  heart.  But  I  have  been  to  see  for  myself,  and 
I  am  glad  I  have  been.  I  want  to  go  again  ;  I  sliall  love  to 
dwell  on  the  most  distant  remembrance.  I  spent  a  day  and 
a  half,  and  my  time  was  most  fully  occupied.  I  would  give 
you  a  description  of  my  ramble,  but  I  could  not  tell  you 
what  I  saw,  what  I  heard.  O,  the  voice  of  many  waters  ! 
I  had  formed  no  conception  of  the  scene,  or,  rather,  of  the 
many  scenes.  Perhaps  it  is  because  my  powers  of  concep- 
tion are  so  feeble.     It  does,  indeed,  mock  all  attempts  at 


104  THE    PREPARATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

description ;  it  is  a  stain  upon  human  pride  and  greatness ; 
i'  laughs  to  scorn  all  the  trickeries  of  art. 

"  Very  much  depends,  I  believe,  on  the  order  in  which 
the  various  parts  are  viewed.  The  smaller  should  be  viewed 
first,  and  then  the  greater  ;  and  in  going  from  step  to  step, 
the  soul  continually  expands  to  take  in  the  larger  views, 
until  we  reach  the  climax.  The  last  step  should  be  to  cross 
over  to  the  Canada  side,  and  there  take  a  view  of  the  whole. 
This  is  merely  my  opinion.  I  have  heard  no  statement 
about  it ;  but  I  am  almost  confident  that  it  is  so." 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"Buffalo,  September  2,  1833. 

"  Buffalo  is  increasing  with  almost  unexampled  rapidity, 
and  depends  for  its  growth  on  its  commercial  advantages. 
What  a  vast  influence  will  be  exerted  by  this  single  city, 
during  the  next  half  century,  on  the  multitudes  of  human 
beings  who  will  spend  a  few  hours  or  a  few  days  here,  either 
from  necessity,  or  for  profit  or  pleasure  !  The  population  is  * 
made  up  of  a  mixed  mass,  collected  together  from  different 
parts  of  the  world. 

"  O  that  the  Lord  would  cast  the  salt  of  divine  grace  into 
this  increasing  fountain  !  They  do  greatly  need  holy  min- 
isters, and  faithful,  pious  teachers  in  all  their  schools. 

"  Saturday  afternoon,  the  rain  being  over,  I  made  an  ar- 
"ungement  for  a  private  conveyance  to  the  Seneca  mission, 
which  is  about  four  miles  from  Buffalo.  There  I  passed  a 
'3abbath  delightfully  at  Mr.  Wright's,  whose  first  wife  was 
9ur  beloved  pupil,  Martha  Egerton." 

"  Tredonia,  September  4. 
"  My  time  here  will  be  very  much  occupied.     I  did  not 
really  think  how  much  visiting  I  should  have  to  do  here.     I 


LETTER   TO    MISS    GRANT.  105 

design  to  visit  all  my  near  relatives  twice  ;  once  before  T  go 
to  Detroit,  and  once  on  my  return.  I  have  in  this  village 
only  my  eldest  sister  and  her  family ;  but  1  found  my  sister 
F.  here,  from  Massachusetts,  waiting  my  arrival.  In  Stock- 
ton, a  few  miles  distant,  is  my  only  brother,  and  his  great 
family  ;  sister  Rosina's  husband  and  four  children  ;  near  by, 
the  only  brother  of  my  mother,  and  his  children  married  and 
settled  around  him.  Then  there  are  relatives  of  my  rela- 
tives, and  others  from  Massachusetts,  whom  I  used  to  know 
more  than  twenty  years  ago,  who  will  expect  me  to  look  in 

upon  them 

"  The  eldest  child  of  my  dear  departed  sister,  between 
six  and  seven  years  old,  is  under  t^ie  care  of  sister  M., 
attending  school  here.  I  have  not  seen  the  other  children 
yet.  He  seems  to  enjoy  my  coming  almost  as  much  as  an 
old  acquaintance  of  mature  age.  He  loves  to  be  with  me 
and  talk  with  me,  and  when  he  is  present,  I  can  think  of  no 
one  but  his  mother.  His  laughing  face,  every  time  he  looks 
at  me,  gives  me  the  most  striking  conception  of  that  uncom- 
mon joy  which  flowed  forth  so  spontaneously  from  her  on 
meeting  friends,  and  in  which  every  one  seemed  involuntarily 
to  share.  All  say  to  me,  '  None  of  us  can  be  so  glad  to  see 
you  as  sister  Rosina  would  be,  if  she  were  alive.'  O  that 
her  children  might  be  trained  up  for  the  Lord  !  1  can  only 
commit  them  to  him." 

"  September  10. 

"  Since  I  last  wrote  to  you,  my  time  has  been  most  fully 
occupied  in  forming  new  acquaintances  with  those  1  wish- to 
know,  and  whom  I  should  like  to  have  familiarly  acquainted 
with  me.  I  mean  the  individuals  who  compose  the  three 
branches  of  our  own  immediate  family  circle.  I  have  been 
able  to  accomplish  much.  I  never  despatched  business 
faster.  I  feel  considerably  acquainted  with  every  one.  It 
has  been  rather  fatiguing,  because  every  thing  is  adapted  so 
o  call  forth  the  powers  of  the  heart.     There  are  so  many 


106  THK    PKKFAKATOKY    DISCIPLINE. 

little  circumstances  suited  to  bring  before  me,  in  a  most  vivid 
manner,  the  numerous  changes  which  have  taken  place  in 
our  family  during  the  last  fourteen  years,  since  my  brother 
came  into  this  country.  Till  that  time,  my  home  was  with 
him.  Though  he  is  considerably  altered,  and  appears  some- 
what bowed  down  with  trials,  sickness,  and  age,  yet  I  find 
him  the  same  kind-hearted,  generous,  affectionate  brother. 
O  that  my  visit  might  be  profitable  to  his  children,  and  to 
my  other  family  friends  !  O  that  the  Lard  would  preserve 
them  from  the  temptations  with  which  they  are  surrounded ! 
"  I  value  the  privilege  of  visiting  my  friends  even  more 
than  I  expected." 

•'Madison,  Ohio,  September  16. 
"  I  have  been  a  few  miles  from  this  place  to  visit  a  gentle- 
man, whose  first  wife  was  my  mother's  sister,  a  very  lovely 
woman  indeed.  Though  I  never  saw  her  except  on  her 
visits  to  my  mother's  widowed  home,  yet  I  loved  her  with  a 
tenderness  which  is  still  alive  in  my  heart  at  this  late  hour. 
Her  visits  were  very  frequent ;  and  among  my  earliest  recol- 
lections is  the  joy  which  thrilled  through  my  little  heart  at 
the  sound  of  her  sweet  voice.  I  had  not  seen  any  of  the 
family  for  many  years,  and  I  was  anxious  to  visit  uncle  for 
my  aunt's  sake." 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"Detroit,  September  18,  1833. 
"  Every  date  carries  me  farther  from  you.  When  I  left 
Chatauque  county,  New  York,  I  hoped  to  be  able  to  return 
there  this  week  ;  but  finding  it  inexpedient,  I  decided  to  spend 
the  Sabbath  here,  and  take  the  earliest  boat  next  week.  But 
one  says  to  me,  '  Do  not,  on  any  account,  take  the  Ohio, 
which  leaves  on  Monday.  I  would  not  have  a  friend  of  mine 
go  in  her,  for  she  is  always  meeting  with  accidents.  On  one 
voyage  she  caught  fire  three  times  ;  but  the  New  York,  which 
goes  on  Tuesday,  is  a  good  boat.'     Another  says,  '  The 


LKTTER  TO  BUSS  GRANT.  107 

New  York  is  very  easy  to  capsize,  but  the  Superior,  leav 
ing  the  same  day,  is  a  large,  safe  boat.'  Another  says,  '  I 
should  not  feel  so  safe  on  board  the  Superior,  for  she  is  a 
very  old  boat.  Besides,  it  will  be  just  about  the  time  for  the 
equinoctial  storm.' 

"  I  agree  with  you  that  '  the  manner  in  which  recitations 
are  heard  has  a  great  effect  on  the  mental  discipline  of  the 
scholar  ;  and  in  this  point  our  teachers  should  excel.'  Can 
we  not  do  much  to  promote  this  object  the  coming  winter .'' 

"  I  am  in  doubt  as  to  what  grammar  it  is  best  to  use  in  our 
lower  classes, 

"  Besides  requiring  a  thorough  knowledge  of  good  old 
Murray,  embracing  a  clear  understanding  of  all  his  notes 
and  remarks,  I  have  a  query  whether  we  ought  not  to  in- 
clude, as  essential  to  completing  our  coursp,  an  ability  to 
criticize  in  a  philosophical  manner  his  erroneous  Latinisms  ; 
a  knowledge  of  the  particular  resemblances  and  differences 
between  Murray  and  our  preparatory  book  ;  and  an  ability 
to  arrange  the  differences  under  two  heads,  essential  and 
non-essential.  Finishing  with  a  book  of  such  an  elevated 
style  as  that  of  Murray's  Grammar,  it  would  not  be  so  great 
an  evil  to  have  the  style  of  our  preparatory  book  ordinary. 
What  a  pity  that  in  our  late  primary  school  books  there  is 
not  more  of  elevated  simplicity  ! " 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"  Stockton,  September  27,  1833. 
"  On  my  arrival  at  Fredonia,  I  found  that  sister  F.  was 
sick  at  my  brother's,  and  I  came  immediately  to  this  place, 
where  I  shall  probably  remain  until  I  leave  this  region. 

"  I  feel  that  I  ought  to  be  very  thankful  for  the  privilege 
of  being  with  this  sick  sister  a  little  while.  She  was  taken 
ill  just  after  I  left  for  Detroit.  It  is  doubtful  what  the  disease 
will  prove  to  be,  or  how  it  will  terminate.     She  has  a  broken 


108  THE     PREPARATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

constitution,  which  can  bear  medicine  only  of  the  most  gentle 
kind.  For  two  days  past  she  has  been  more  comfortable 
and  the  symptoms  are  more  favorable." 

At  a  later  date  she  writes, — 

"  My  sister,  during  her  sickness,  has  been  in  a  very  desira- 
ble state  of  mind.  For  the  past  year,  since  Rosina's  death, 
she  has  felt-continually  that  she  had  not  long  to  live,  and  has 
been  tried  because  death  seemed  to  her  so  much  of  a  terror. 
She  has  feared  that  she  should  not  be  reconciled  to  sickness. 
But  as  soon  as  she  was  taken  sick,  her  soul  was  filled  with 
the  sweetest  resignation.  Now,  the  prospect  is,  that  her  life 
will  be  spared  to  labor  a  while  longer  in  this  vale  of  tears. 
I  have  had  much  this  summer  to  make  me  think  of  the  last 
solemn  scene  of  life.  It  is  indeed  a  great  and  important 
thing  to  be  prepared  for  death.  O  that  I  might  have  my 
lamp  trimmed  and  burning !  that  the  Lord  would  save  me 
from  sin  and  everlasting  death  !  What  a  wonder  of  grace, 
if  I  should  be  allowed  the  unspeakable  privilege  of  dwelling 
forever  in  the  presence  of  God  ! " 

Her  sister  recovered  from  this  sickness,  and  returned  to 
Massachusetts.  She  was  married  in  June,  1839,  and  after 
becoming  the  mother  of  an  infant,  which  lived  but  a  few 
weeks,  she  died  in  the  triumphs  of  faith,  October,  1840,  a 
short  time  before  their  mother. 

Miss  Lyon  cherished  a  peculiar  tenderness  for  this  sister, 
the  "  little  one,''''  when  her  father  was  called  from  his  family. 
In  speaking  of  her  to  a  friend,  she  said,  "  Whenever  my 
mind  is  disposed  to  dwell  on  her  feebleness  and  sufferings,  1 
turn  from  them  to  the  pleasant  thought,  that  God  allowed 
her  to  live  long  enough  to  take  with  her  to  glory  a  little 
spirit,  to  sing  with  her  forever  the  praises  of  her  Redeemer." 


'  LETTERS  TO  MISS  GRANT.  109 

TO  MISS  GRANT. 

"RocuESTEK,  October  12,  1833 
"I  am  now  commencing  the  last  letter  but  one  which  1 
expect  to  write  you  before  we  again  meet,  and  are  able  to 
converse  face  to  face.  My  heart  vibrates  with  tender  emo- 
tions, as  the  time  draws  near  when  I  hope  again  to  sit  by 
your  side,  enjoying  your  society  as  I  have  in  former  times. 
May  the  Lord  prepare  me  to  improve,  as  well  as  to  enjoy, 
this  precious  privilege.  Will  you  unite  with  me  in  making 
it  a  subject  of  daily  prayer,  that  the  ensuing  winter,  which 
we  anticipate  spending  together  after  so  long  a  separation, 
may  be  for  our  mutual  benefit,  for  the  good  of  our  dearly- 
beloved  institution,  and  for  the  glory  of  God  ?  Without  God 
I  can  do  nothing.     I  am  the  weakest  of  the  weak." 

Her  next  date  was  at  Ashfield,  from  which  place,  after 
visiting  her  mother,  she  proceeded  to  Ipswich  in  time  to  be 
present  at  the  opening  of  the  winter  school. 

The  following  letter  to  Miss  G.  was  written  while  the  lat- 
ter was  out  of  town  for  a  few  days,  soon  after  the  school  was 
organized  for  the  winter. 

TO    THE    SAME. 

"Ipswich,  November  16,  1833. 
"  I  have  my  eye  on  several  members  of  our  school,  to 
whom  I  think  it  best  to  give  some  individual  attention  as  soon 
as  I  can.  May  I  have  wisdom  from  above  to  give  to  each 
such  a  portion  as  she  needs.  How  diflRcult  it  is  to  know 
when  to  attempt  to  draw  by  the  silken  cord,  and  when  to  try 
a  little  the  firmer  cord  of  authority !  It  is  a  comfort  that 
we  can  do  nothing  ourselves ;  but  Christ  strengthening  us, 
we  can  do  all  things  which  he  requires.  I  would  that  in  all 
my  labors  I  might  keep  directly  in  view  the  upbuilding  of 
Christ's  kingdom. 
10 


110  THE    PREPARATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

"In  our  meeting  to-day,*  I  dwelt  on  the  undoubted  fact, 
that  there  were  living  Christians  in  this  school,  and  it  was 
desirable  that  every  one  should  find  them,  and  hold  with 
them  sweet  communion.  This  I  presented  among  the  first 
steps  towards  being  prepared  to  com'mence  our  mutual  labors 
for  the  promotion  of  each  other's  spiritual  growth.  I  urged 
the  point  of  every  one's  finding  one  or  two  such  spirits  before 
next  Saturday  night." 

TO    HER    MOTHER. 

"  Ipswich,  December  3,  1833. 

"  Perhaps  you  may  have  heard  that  there  is  at  this  time 
in  progress  a  very  powerful  revival  at  Andover.  It  is  said 
to  be  one  of  the  m.ost  glorious  displays  of  divine  grace  in 
modern  times.  Some  Christians  in  this  region  are  hoping 
that  another  such  visitation  is  about  to  return,  as  the  Ameri- 
can churches  enjoyed  two  or  three  years  ago.  Some  gentle 
dews  have  descended  around  us ;  but  there  has  been  in  no 
place,  for  a  long  time,  so  copious  a  shower  as  is  now  witnessed 
at  Andover.  In  Park  Street  Church,  Boston,  there  has  been, 
for  a  few  weeks,  increasing  interest ;  and  in  several  places 
around,  there  are  favorable  indications.  I  mention  these 
encouraging  things  to  enlist  your  prayers,  that  all  this  region 
may  again  be  visited  with  a  refreshing  from  the  presence  of 
the  Lord  ;  that  his  name  may  be  honored  in  the  salvation  of 
souls.  This  beloved  institution  you  will  also  remember,  as 
you  have  delighted  to  do  from  year  to  year.  Our  present 
number  is  one  hundred  and  sixty.  Nearly  half  are  hope- 
fully pious.  Some  appear  to  be  established  Christians ; 
some  are  like  many  whom  w^e  find  in  all  places,  who  have 
only  a  name  to  live,  while  we  fear  they  are  dead. 

"  My  dear  mother,  I  very  much  need  your  prayers,  that  I 

•  A  weekly  meeting  of  the  teachers  and  pupils  who  hoped  they 
had  been  renewed  by  divine  grace. 


LETTER   TO    MISS    GRANT.  Ill 

may  be  revived  ;  that  I  may  have  clearer  views  of  salvation 
by  Jesus  Christ,  and  of  the  wonderful  manifestations  of  God's 
love  in  giving  his  only  beloved  Son  to  save  a  lost  world." 

TO    HER    MOTHER. 

"BosTOy,  December  16,  1833. 

"  During  the  past  week,  I  have  been  attending  a  very  in- 
teresting course  of  meetings  in  Park  Street  Church.  We 
hope  there  is  a  good  work  begun  in  Boston,  which  will  be 
carried  on  in  this  great  city,  and  extend  into  the  country,  till 
the  whole  region  shall  be  watered.  I  want  you  should  pray 
for  this  city,  for  this  region,  and  for  our  school.  Pray  tha/ 
sinners,  who  are  out  of  the  ark  of  safety,  may  be  turned  unto 
the  Lord.  My  dear  mother,  I  want  you  should  pray  for  me 
in  particular,  that  I  may,  from  day  to  day,  do  my  whole  duty  ; 
that  I  may  know  what  I  should  do,  and  how  I  should  do  it ; 
that  I  may  be  so  faithful  to  souls,  as  to  free  the  skirts  of  my 
garments  from  their  blood, 

"  Whether  I  eat  or  drink,  or  whatever  I  do,  may  I  do  all 
to  the  glory  of  God  ;  may  all  my  labors  be  subservient  to 
the  advancement  of  the  cause  of  our  ever-glorious  Savior. 

"  During  the  past  week,  I  have,  as  I  trust,  enjoyed  much 
of  the  presence  of  God.  The  heavenly  world  has  seemed 
very  near,  and  it  has  appeared  an  unspeakable  privilege  to 
dwell  forever  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord.  It  is  a  wonder- 
ful mercy  that  I  should  be  permitted,  so  guilty  and  unworthy 
as  I  am,  to  enjoy  so  much  of  the  presence  and  glory  of  my 
Savior." 

TO    riISS    GRANT. 

"Boston,  Decemljer  18,  1833. 
"  The  seasons  which  I  have  recently  enjoyed  have,  1 
hope,  through  infinite  mercy,  been  profitable.  I  think  I 
have  had  a  deeper  impression  than  ever  before  of  my  inex- 
pressible vileness  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  of  the  infinite  and 
glorious  fulness   in  Christ;    a  deeper  sense  of  the   divine 


112  THE    PRKPAKATORi'    DISCIPLINE. 

presence  and  glory ;  of  the  real  object  for  which  we  should 
live,  of  the  worth  of  souls,  of  the  duty  and  privilege  of  co- 
operating with  Christ  in  his  great  work,  of  the  efficacy  of 
prayer,  and  of  the  infinite  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  When 
jnj  thoughts  go  back  to  Ipswich,  my  heart  rises,  crying, 
'  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ?  '  I  cannot  atone  for 
any  past  neglect,  neither  would  I  desire  to  do  it ;  the  blood 
of  Christ  is  sufficient  to  atone  for  all  sin.  Pray  for  me,  that 
I  may  have  strong  faith  in  the  promises  of  God,  and  that  I 
may  constantly  have  the  teachings  of  the  Spirit.  The  same 
blessings  which  I  seek  for  myself,  I  ask  for  you.  May  the 
Lord  bless  you,  and  keep  you." 

The  two  foregoing  letters,  as  well  as  the  two  following 
paragraphs,  were  written  during  a  separation  of  these  fellow- 
laborers  for  only  a  few  day  si. 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"Ipswich,  March  1,  1834. 
"  You  will  recollect  that  yesterday  was  our  communion 
season.  The  covenant,  when  read  to  Misses  G.  and  A., 
seemed  more  solemn  and  precious  to  me  than  ever  before. 
What  a  privilege  it  is  to  make  such  a  consecration  of  soul 
to  God  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost !  How 
precious,  indeed,  would  it  be  to  keep  those  vows!" 

"  I  should  like  very  much,  about  the  middle  of  next  win- 
ter, after  I  am  fairly  out  of  school,  to  spend  five  weeks  here, 
and  attend  to  a  large  class  in  chemistry." 

In  a  letter  to  her  mother,  dated  Ipswich,  April,  1834, 
after  speaking  of  the  hopeful  conversion  of  a  nephew,  she 
says, — 

"  I  consider  this  a  special  blessing.  I  have  thought  of  no 
one  in  the  family  circle  so  much  during  the  winter,  as  I  havo 


LETTER    TO    MISS    GRANT.  113 

of  him.  He  was  the  eldest  that  gave  no  evidence  of  being 
born  again.  I  was  much  interested  in  his  general  character 
when  I  last  saw  him  ;  but  he  seemed  far  from  the  kingdom 
of  heaven.  Have  we  not  renewed  cause  to  bless  the  Lord, 
and  praise  his  holy  name  ?  We  have  surely  another  pledge 
of  his  goodness  and  everlasting  love.  And  now,  my  dear 
mother,  I  hope  you  will  have  an  increased  spirit  of  prayer 
for  your  children  and  grandchildren.  More  than  for  almost 
any  thing  else  do  I  desire  to  have  your  life  spared,  that  you 
may  have  more  time  to  pray  for  your  large,  increasing  fam- 
ily. I  hope  you  will  stand,  at  the  last  day,  on  the  right  hand 
of  the  Judge,  with  all  your  posterity  down  to  the  latest 
generation." 

During  the  summer  term  of  1834,  Miss  Grant  was  jour- 
neying in  the  Western  States,  while  Miss  Lyon  had  charge 
of  their  seminary.  To  the  absence  of  Miss  G.  at  different 
limes,  amounting  in  all  to  two  years,  out  of  the  six  and  a 
half  during  which  they  were  connected  at  Ipswich,  and  to 
Miss  Lyon's  absence  from  that  place,  in  the  mean  time,  two 
winters  and  one  summer,  we  are  indebted  for  many  of  Miss 
Lyon's  thoughts,  which  otherwise  she  might  never  have 
committed  to  paper. 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"Ipswicn,  May  6,  1834. 
"Yesterday  we  heard  of  the  death  of  our  former  pupil, 
Miss  Farnum.  She  died  last  Friday.  We  have  not  heard 
the  particulars,  except  that  she  had  her  reason  to  the  last, 
and  was  calm  in  death.  It  is  very  pleasant  to  think  of  the 
five  individuals  who  once  were  members  of  our  family,  that 
we  believe  are  now  together  with  the  Lord ;  Mrs.  Wright, 
Miss  Marsh,  Miss  Kingsley,  Mrs.  Bishop,  and  Miss  Farnum. 
How  evident  is  it,  that  we  do  not  know  who  it  is  best  should 
be  called  home,  and  who  it  is  best  should  stay !  In  times 
10* 


114  THE    PREPARATORY     DISCIPLINE. 

past,  life  has  seemed  to  me  pleasant,  and  the  privilege  of 
laboring  very  desirable.  But  my  feelings  have  undergone 
some  change  for  a  few  months  past.  Now,  it  seems  to  me 
that,  if  God  sees  it  to  be  best  that  we  should  live,  it  is 
vastly  important  that  we  should  labor  with  all  our  strength; 
but  that,  whenever  God  may  see  it  best  to  call  us  hence,  we 
should  cheerfully  leave  our  work  at  a  moment's  warning. 
He  who  has  given  us  our  work  to  do,  can  easily  commit  it  to 
other  hands.  It  is  my  desire  to  be  in  daily  readiness  to 
leave  all.  I  believe  I  do  have  some  foretastes,  from  time  to 
time,  of  what  I  think  heaven  is,  though  between  these  sea- 
sons there  is  much  of  strange  stupidity.  These  little  fore- 
tastes, too,  as  they  return  again  and  again,  become  more 
and  more  enriching  to  my  soul,  and  ravishing  to  my  heart. 
But  the  imperfect  fruit  which  I  bring  forth,  and  the  more 
imperfect  fountain  within,  form  a  strange  paradox.  The 
grace  of  Christ  is  sufficient  to  cleanse  from  all  sin.  This  is 
my  only  hope,  and  a  precious  hope  it  is." 

The  reader  must  have  noticed  Miss  Lyon's  confidence  in 
the  efficacy  of  her  mother's  prayers.  She  was  in  the  habit 
of  asking  them  not  only  for  herself  and  her  school,  but  also 
for  individuals  under  her  influence.  She  was  specific  in  the 
requests  she  desired  her  to  bring  to  the  throne  of  grace.  She 
herself  felt  that  these  prayers  were  an  important  link  in 
the  chain  between  the  Giver  of  good  and  the  blessing 
received. 

The  following  extracts  not  only  show  this,  but  also  her 
own  exertions  in  behalf  of  all  around  her. 

"Ipswich,  May  13,  1834. 

"  .  .  .  .  .  My  dear  mother,  I  want  you  to  pray  for 
the  family  with  which  I  reside." 

After  describing  the  different  members,  particularly  their 
religious  state,  she  adds,  "  Another  member  of  the  family  is 


LETTER   TO    MISS    GRANT.  115 

a  young  man,  whose  mind  was  injured  by  sickness  when  he 
was  a  child.  He  makes  himself  useful,  and  is  very  faithful. 
As  I  have  seen  poor  J.  go  about,  I  have  thought  of  his  soul, 
and  hoped  he  would  at  last  shine  in  heaven.* 

"  Another,  for  whom  I  feel  great  solicitude,  is  a  woman 
who  works  in  the  kitchen.  She  is  about  forty  years  old, 
and  cannot  read.  She  is  now  absent  on  a  visit.  I  com- 
menced teaching  her  to  read  before  she  went  away,  and  de- 
sign to  continue  it  when  she  returns,  or  engage  some  one  of 
the  teachers  to  do  it.  She  has  been  very  much  ashamed  to 
let  any  one  know  that  she  could  not  read.  I  taught  her  in 
my  chamber  alone.  I  do  want  you  should  pray  for  these 
individuals.     I  hope  salvation  will  come  to  this  house. 

"  The  religious  state  of  our  school  was  favorable  last 
term.  About  twenty  indulged  some  hope  of  having  been 
born  again*  In  about  two- weeks,  the  school  reassembles. 
Pray  for  us,  that  the  Lord  may  meet  with  us." 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"Ipswich,  May  16.  1834. 
"  What  can  any  of  us  do  without  the  blessing  of  God  ? 
I  do  hope  we  shall  not  be  forsaken  of  him.  Pray  for  us  all, 
and  especially  for  the  teachers,  that  we  all  may  be  fed  with 
heavenly  food,  granted  day  by  day,  like  our  daily  bread. 
When  there  is  so  much  to  be  done  for  the  blessed  and  glori- 
ous Savior,  how  important  that  all  our  strength,  feeble  as  it 
is,  should  be  wholly  devoted  to  his  service !  I  am  feeling 
more  and  more,  and  with  considerable  force,  that  it  is  much 
more  important  that  all  our  powers,  greater  or  less,  should 


*  The  reader  may  be  gratified  to  learn  tliat,  after  the  above  letter 
was  written,  J.,  in  great  simplicity  and  sincerity,  came  like  a  child 
to  Christ,  and  has  since  adorned  a  religious  profession  by  an  humble 
and  exemplary  life. 


116  THE    PREl'AKATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

be  devoted  to  God,  than  that  our  powers  should  be  great 
and  that  it  is  more  important  that  all  our  time,  whether  longer 
or  shorter,  should  be  devoted  to  him,  than  that  this  life  should 
be  long.  What  a  privilege  to  labor,  feeling  that,  while  we 
are  spared,  God,  in  his  inflnite  love,  can  make  use  of  our 
labors  to  promote  the  best  of  all  causes,  and  whenever  he 
calls  us  hence,  we  can  lay  by  our  work,  as  we  lay  otT  a 
garment,  and  the  work  can  go  on  just  as  well  without  us! 
How  full  of  wisdom,  goodness,  and  mercy,  are  all  the  ways 
of  God!  In  eternity,  we  shall  forever  feast  upon  his  love. 
Sometimes  I  have  great  hope  that  the  Lord  will  meet  with 
us  and  bless  us  this  summer;  teachers,  scholars,  and  all. 
To  save  by  few  or  by  many  is  the  same  with  God.  It 
may  be  that  he  will  honor  his  name  by  remembering  us  in 
our  weakness,  and  by  taking  us  all  to  be  his  own.  It  seems 
to  me  that  this  is  my  heart's  desire  and  prayer  to  God  from 
"day  to  day. 

"  Last  week,  I  wanted  to  tell  you  how  weak  I  felt.  In 
the  first  place,  a  pain  seemed  to  play  around  my  head,  just 
ready  to  seize  upon  it,  and  to  unfit  me  for  every  thing.  It 
became  necessary  to  watch  and  guard  my  efforts  as  care- 
fully as  I  would  a  candle  in  the  gentle  breeze.  In  the  next 
place,  my  mind  was  locked  as  in  a  cage,  and  my  heart  was 
seized  with  a  painful  chill.  So  much  for  myself.  In  looking 
over  the  boarding-houses  and  scholars,  I  could  find  so  little 
salt  on  which  I  could  depend  that  it  would  not  lose  its  savor, 
that  my  heart  sank  within  me.  The  inquiry, '  How  can  these 
jDoarding-houses  be  so  regulated,  and  the  school  so  guided, 
that  every  thing  may  be  done,  which  ought  to  be  done,  to  pre- 
pare the  way  of  the  Lord,  and  make  his  paths  straight } ' 
came  home  to  my  soul.  I  felt  like  sinking;  but  the  thought 
that  the  Lord  is  able  was  comforting.  Yesterday,  I  seemed 
to  gather  some  crumbs  from  my  Father's  table,  which  re- 
vived ray  strength  of  body,  mind,  and  heart." 


LETTERS  TO  MISS  GRANT.  117 

TO  MISS  GRANT. 

"Ipswich,  June  3,  1834. 
"  I  have  a  multitude  of  little  things  which  I  should  like  to 
say  to  you.  Our  school  has  come  together,  and  the  prospect 
is  encouraging.  The  general  aspect  is  favorable.  The 
cold,  wet  weather  last  week  made  some  countenances  sad, 
and  seemed  to  make  a  few  misshapen  stones  more  unfitted 
to  every  place.     But  the  sun  comds  out  this  week,  and  other 

things  look  rather  more  comforting.     Miss is  one  of 

these  misshapen  stones.  She  has  so  far  been  at  home  most 
of  the  days  on  account  of  her  health.  I  think  it  doubtful 
whether  she  remains. 

•  •  •  •  • 

"  I  have  received  a  letter  from  Miss ,  in  which  she 

says  it  is  a  great  trial  to  hide  her  talent  in  a  napkin.  She  is 
disappointed  in  getting  a  situation  to  teach,  as  she  expected. 
Now,  my  dear  friend,  can  you  help  contrive  for  this  poor 
child  }  Can  you  not  find  some  nook  where  she  can  do  good, 
and  begin  forthwith  }  If  you  could  find  some  field  of  labor, 
and  write  to  her  immediately,  how  it  would  rejoice  her  heart, 
and  mine  too,  and  yours  no  less." 

TO    THE    SAME. 

"Ipswich,  June  5,  1834. 
"  Last  evening,  the  Life  of  dear  Mr.  Emerson  came.  1 
seemed  to  have  a  visit  with  the  good  man  as  I  glanced  over 
the  pages  one  after  another.  I  do  hope  every  one  who  loved 
him  will  enjoy  the  privilege  of  reading  it.  O  that  I  might 
derive  important  and  permanent  profit  from  this  precious 
book !  How  large  a  portion  of  my  life  has  already  gone,  and 
to  how  little  purpose  !  When  I  look  at  such  a  character  as 
his,  whose  time  was  so  systematically  divided,  so  filled  up 
with  varied  usefulness,  and  who  was  so  persevering  on  so 
many  different  and  seemingly  opposite  points,  I  feel  a  kind 
of  stirring  influence  in  my  inmost  soul,  making  me  feel  that 


118  THE   PBEPAEATORY   DISCIPLINE. 

I  want  to  begin  anew,  like  a  little  child,  and  live  as  I  should 
live;  though  it  must  be  a  short  life,  comparatively.  But 
when  and  how  shall  I  begin  ?  How  shall  I  live,  and  how 
shall  I  labor  >  " 

The  reflections  of  Miss  L.,  on  parting  with  individuals 
who  caused  her  unusual  trouble,  show  that  the  relation  she 
sustained  to  her  pupils  affected  her  spirit  deeply.  Selfish 
joy,  on  being  relieved  from  such  burdens,  found  no  place  in 
her  benevolent  heart.  The  following  letter  is  an  illus- 
tration :  — 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"Ipswich,  June  25,  1834. 

"  1  wish  very  much  to  give  you  some  more  full  account 
of  the  school  than  I  have  done,  but  have  time  only  to  say  the 
same  that  I  have  expressed  before  —  that  the  good  hand  of 
our  God  is  upon  us  in  our  daily  labors  and  cares.  What 
trials  the  Lord  may  see  best  to  bring  upon  us  before  the 
school  closes,   I  know  not.      The    circumstances   of  Miss 

-r 's  unhappiness  have  terminated,  as  I  expected,  in  her 

leaving  the  school,  and  were  very  trying.  She  did  nothing  ; 
was  at  school  only  now  and  then  half  a  day  ;  disliked  the 
school  excessively  ;  thought  she  was  sick,  and  wrote  to  her 
uncle,  without  mentioning  it  to  me,  that  she  could  not  stay ; 
wrote  to  her  guardian,  &c.  I  told  her  I  thought  it  best  that 
she  should  leave.  I  do  not  know  but  I  have  done  my  whole 
duty  to  her.  At  any  rate,  she  has  gone,  and  I  shall  meet 
her  no  more  till  I  meet  her  at  the  judgment  seat.  How  sol- 
emn will  then  be  the  account  which  I  must  render  of  my 
stewardship !  May  I,  from  this  time  forward,  feel  more  and 
more  the  solemn  truth  that  I  must  meet  every  one  that  I  am 
allowed  the  privilege  of  teaching,  and  render  up  a  strict 
account.  Pray  for  me,  that  I  may  be  faithful  to  every 
individual. 

"  Three  or  four  young  ladies  were  anxious  about  their 


LETTER   TO    MISS   GRANT.  119 

salvation  when  they  entered  the  school.  Others  arc  some- 
what interested.  Last  Sabbath  morning,  I  met  twelve  at  my 
room,  who  thought  they  were  decided  to  make  religion  their 
first  concern.  Two  of  the  number  are  now  indulging  some 
hope." 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"  Ipswich,  July  4,  1834. 

" Returning  by  way  of  Beverly,  I  passed 

the  night  in  the  hospitable  home  of  kind  Mrs.  B.,  and  spent 
some  time  in  reading  to  her  and  another  good  lady  from  Mr, 
Emerson's  Life.  It  was  a  luxury,  indeed,  to  read  to  people 
possessing  such  hearts.  How  justly  might  he  say,  '  O,  with 
what  eyes,  with  what  smiles,  with  what  hands,  with  what 
hearts,  with  what  words,  did  they  meet  the  feeble  remnant 
of  him  they  once  honored  as  their  minister,  so  much  above 
his  deserving  ! '  I  love  to  read  his  letters.  I  delight  to 
dwell  on  his  sincerity.  Surely,  mine  eyes  have  seen  one 
honest-hearted  man  in  this  dark,  deceitful  world.  I  am  dis- 
tressed with  the  apparent  want  of  sincerity  among  Christians 
on  the  first  and  grand  principles  of  duty  ;  and  more  than 
all,,  with  my  own  real  deficiencies  in  this  respect.  I  am  dis- 
tressed that  so  many  momentous  subjects  of  Christian  duty 
should  wear  so  different  an  aspect  in  the  pulpit,  and  in  the 
solemn  and  attentive  audience,  from  what  they  do  in  the 
social  circle,  and  in  the  business  of  life.  I  have  often  had 
seasons  of  being  distressed  with  this  subject.  In  reading 
Mr,  Emerson's  Life,  all  these  feelings  have  been  renewed. 
Is  there  real  cause  for  this  distress  .''  Is  it  owing  to  partial 
views  of  things  ?  O  that  my  own  heart  might  be  sincere, 
and  my  hands  clean  !  But  I  had  almost  forgotten  that  I  was 
going  to  confine  myself  to  business. 

"  Miss  F.'s  lucid  description  of  Granville,  Ohio,  I  value 
very  much  indeed,  and  trust  I  am  truly  grateful  to  her  for 
it.     Such  an  aspect  of  society  rouses  my  soul  to  almost  a 


120  THE    PREPARATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

flame,  when  I  think  what  might  be  done  in  advancing  the 
interests  of  the  human  family,  if  every  good  thing  might 
take  its  proper  place.  * 

"  Last   evening,    Mrs.    showed    me    an    old   tract, 

Mary  and  Martha,'  which  her  daughter  had  brought  from 
Vermont.  I  found  it  was  written  more  than  forty  years  ago, 
by  my  grandmother's  sister.  She  was  a  good  woman,  in 
whom  the  meek  and  heavenly  spirit  of  Jesus  reigned  all  her 
life,  almost  without  a  spot.  She  nursed  her  aged  parents 
till  their  death,  after  which  she  was  married,  and  had  one 
only  son,  who  was  content  to  be  brought  up  by  his  mother's 
side,  a  stranger  to  the  arts  of  the  world.  This  child  has 
now  three  little  daughters,  and  for  a  son  has  taken  the 
youngest  child  of  my  afflicted  sister  Putnam. 

"  This  little  tract  brought  up  a  long  train  of  family  associ- 
ations. It  seemed  an  interesting  relic  of  the  old,  venerated 
family  of  my  mother's  grandfather." 

TO    HER    YOUNGEST    SISTER. 

"Ipswich,  August  26,  1834. 
"  Our  niece,  A.  M.,  has  gone  to  Virginia,  to  teach.  She 
left  us  about  four  weeks  ago,  and  has  arrived  safely.  She 
has  made  very  good  improvement  here,  and  is  promising. 
I  think  she  has  some  right  views  about  the  real  object  of  life, 
and  the  real  object  of  education.  I  do  hope  she  will  use  her 
acquirements  for  the  advancement  of  Christ's  kingdom. 
When  you  pray  for  her,  I  beg  you  will  remember  this  one 
thing.  What  a  great  mistake  has  been  committed  by  the 
followers  of  Christ,  in  not  believing  that  every  good  thing  is 
to  be  used  primarily  for  the  advancement  of  the  Redeemer's 
kingdom,  for  the  salvation  of  men  !  Property,  education, 
time,  influence,  friends,  children,  brothers  and  sisters,  all 
should  be  devoted  to  this  great  object.  All  can  be  used,  all 
should  be  used  thus.     All  who  have  willing  hearts  to  engage 


LETTER    TO    A    SISTER.  121 

in  the  great  work  of  cooperating  with  Christ  in  saving  the 
world,  I  do  desire  should  be  thoroughly  furnished.  I  would 
have  their  power  increased,  their  strength  of  body  and  of 
mind,  their  knowledge  and  influence.  These  things  seem  to 
me  more  and  more  important  and  valuable  ;  not,  however,  for 
the  worldly-minded,  but  for  the  followers  of  Jesus.  When 
will  Christians  learn  the  great  lesson  of  doing  every  thing 
for  the  gloiy  of  God  }  This,  I  believe,  means  that  every 
thing  should  be  done,  and  every  blessing  be  made,  to  pro- 
mote the  salvation  of  souls.  This  is  the  glory  of  God,  as 
revealed  to  us.  This  is  that  which  we  are  commanded  to 
promote  in  all  that  we  do,  whether  we  eat  or  drink.  It  is  by 
the  church  that  the  manifold  wisdom  of  God  is  manifest, 
(Eph.  iii.  10.)  To  the  angels,  too,  it  seems  that  the  wisdom 
of  God  is  made  manifest  by  the  church,  or  by  the  salvation 
of  man. 

"  I  took  this  sheet  to  state  a  few  things  about  myself;  but 
inadvertently  I  have  turned  aside,  until  it  is  almost  full.  You 
already  know  that  I  expect  to  close  my  labors  here,  and  my 
connection  with  Miss  Grant  on  earth,  this  fall.  I  am  about 
to  embark  in  a  frail  boat  on  a  boisterous  sea.  I  know  not 
whither  I  shall  be  driven,  nor  how  I  shall  be  tossed,  nor  to 
what  port  I  shall  aim.  I  know  not  what  is  before  me,  nor 
where  will  be  my  next  field  of  labor.  I  know  not  when  1 
shall  find  myself  engaged  in  regular  labor  in  the  great  work 
of  teaching,  for  which  Providence  has  fitted  me  more  than 
for  any  thing  else.  But  I  am  not  anxious.  I  have  decided 
to  close  my  labors  here,  because  I  felt  it  to  be  probable  that 
I  could  do  more  good  in  another  field.  And  now,  after 
breaking  asunder  a  thousand  cords,  to  separate  myself  from 
this  beloved  institution,  I  feel  that  I  must  at  present  keep 
myself  disengaged  from  any  school,  because,  by  so  doing,  I 
have  more  hope  that  the  way  will  be  open  for  me  yet  to 
engage  in  the  specific  field  in  which  my  heart  is  so  deeply 
11 


122  THE    PREPARATORY    DISCIPLINE. 

interested.  I  never  had  a  prospect  of  engaging  in  any  labor 
which  seemed  so  directly  the  work  of  the  Lord  as  this.  It 
is  very  sweet,  in  the  midst  of  darkness  and  doubt,  to  commit 
the  whole  to  his  guidance. 

"  The  next  winter  I  want  to  spend  partly  in  study,  and 
partly  in  laying  out  plans  for  the  future,  writing,  &c.  I  wish 
to  be  in  a  family  where  I  shall  meet  friends,  and  where  I 
shall  have  access  to  a  good  librarj',  and  in  a  town  where  I 
shall  not  be  out  of  the  way  of  society,  for  I  shall  often  want 
counsel.  Providence  has  very  kindly  given  me  such  a  home 
at  Amherst,  in  the  family  of  Professor  Hitchcock. 

"  The  religious  state  of  our  school  has  been  in  some  de- 
gree interesting.  Many  are  anxious  for  the  salvation  of  their 
souls  ;  some  deeply  so.  A  few  have  recently  expressed  hope. 
The  interest  increases  from  week  to  week.  I  want  that  you 
and  dear  mother  should  pray  for  us  much  while  the  school 
shall  continue,  which  will  be  about  three  weeks  longer." 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"Ipswich,  September  15,  1834. 
" Messrs.  Reed  and  Matheson,  from  Eng- 
land, were  here  last  Thursday  evening.  I  regretted  exceed- 
ingly that  you  were  not  present  to  answer  for  the  school 
yourself.  Mr.  M.  was  in  school  a  short  time  in  the  morning, 
and  Mr.  R.  just  before  they  left  town." 

Mr.  Reed  had  previously  had  a  personal  interview  with 
Miss  Grant,  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  was  very  particular  in 
ascertaining  the  principles  and  plans  of  operation  in  the 
seminary  at  Ipswich. 

At  a  later  date.  Miss  Lyon  writes  to  Miss  G.,  — 
"  What  a  blessing  we  have  enjoyed  in  having  such  a  field 
of  labor  from  year  to  year  !     How  few  are  favored  as  we 
are  !     May  you,  my  dear  friend,  live  long,  and  enjoy  the 
privilege  of  laboring  for  a  great  while  to  come." 


LETTER    TO   A    SISTER.  123 

TO    HER    SISTER    MOOKE. 

"  I  have  not  heard  from  your  daughter  A.  for  a  long  time. 
1  think  she  will  be  prepared  to  do  great  good,  and  I  hope  she 
will  live  to  do  it.  I  feel  satisfied  with  her  present  situation, 
only  as  a  temporary  one.-  I  do  not  think  the  sphere  of  use- 
fulness so  extensive  as  she  might  have  in  other  places.  How 
much  greater  is  the  blessing  of  enjoying  a  field  of  useful- 
ness, than  a  situation  favorable  to  personal  advantage  !  And 
do  you  not,  my  dear  sister,  regard  it  as  a  higher  privilege  to 
have  your  children  prepared  to  do  good,  than  to  have  them 
enjoy  great  worldly  prosperity  ?  This  happiness  I  desire  and 
pray  that  you  may  enjoy  in  all  your  children." 

From  Miss  Lyon's  letters  to  Miss  Grant,  we  now  give  a 
few  fragments  without  date  ;  and  with  these  we  are  brought 
to  the  close  of  their  ten  years'  cooperation  in  teaching,  viz., 
September  1,  1834. 

"  They  are  talking  about  erecting  a  building  for  a  female 
school  in  this  city ;  but  they  have  had  no  idea  of  doing  it, 
except  by  shares,  with  the  expectation  of  an  income.  They 
look  at  schools,  generally,  just  as  they  would  at  mercantile 
business.  Some  persons,  who  knew  I  was  coming  here, 
hoped  that  I  would  render  them  some  assistance  about  a 
plan  ;  but  they  need  something  more  than  a  plan.'''' 

"  There  is  more  decided  religious  influence  in  this  place 
than  in  any  other  village  of  its  size  in  which  I  am  acquaint- 
ed. There  is  more  equality  among  the  people,  and  less 
aristocracy.  But,  from  what  I  have  learned,  I  should  think  the 
people  had  not  knowledge  enough,  and  fixedness  of  purpose 
enough,  for  their  security.  They  have  great  zeal  and  ardor 
in  new  things,  but  in  their  plans  and  efforts  they  are  among 
the  most  changeable.  Their  zeal  is  very  apt  to  be  of  mush- 
room character." 

After  mentioning  some  young  ladies  who  had  refused  a 
field  of  usefulness,  because  the  salary  did  not  meet  their 
wishes,  she  says,  — 


124  THE    PREPARATOKY   DISCIPLINE, 

"  You  see  what  the  views  of  these  ladies  are.  I  could 
not  refrain  from  saying  to  myself,  If  all  ladies  entertain  the 
same  views,  what  will  become  of  the  immense  population  of 
our  country,  whose  scale  of  means  and  living,  in  every 
respect,  is  so  far  below  these  views  ?  How  shall  the  mothers 
of  future  generations  be  so  trained,  that,  with  the  common 
blessing  of  Heaven,  they  will  refuse  to  give  up  their  children 
to  Catholic  influence  ?  What  would  become  of  the  great 
multitude  of  our  churches  throughout  the  country,  if  all  our 
educated  ministers  were  to  demand  a  salary,  which  should 
furnish  as  much  better  support  for  their  families  than  the 
common,  enterprising,  and  industrious  farmers  and  mechan- 
ics can  procure,  as  these  ladies  consider  necessary  for  their 
personal  wants,  above  what  can  be  obtained  by  the  industry 
of  respectable  females  in  ordinary  employments  ?  " 

"  How  soon  your  school  will  close !  and  where  will  you 
then  be  ?  How  I  should  love  to  step  in  some  morning  and 
listen  to  your  instructions,  and,  as  in  former  days,  not 
only  enjoy  the  truth  in  my  own  mind,  but  enjoy  it  as  re- 
flected from  many  an  impressive  countenance !  Does  the 
Lord  bless  the  truth  ?  Has  there  been  a  growth  of  grace 
among  professing  Christians  ?  Do  the  teachers  and  pupils 
have  enlarged  views  of  Christian  feeling  and  Christian  ac- 
tion ?  Are  their  hearts  and  minds  so  enlarged,  that  they  can 
understand  and  love  the  principle,  that  the  commands  of  the 
Bible  are  to  be  obeyed,  at  all  times,  in  all  places,  and  under 
all  temptations  ?  I  do  believe  that  this  is  a  time  when 
efforts  in  behalf  of  young  Christians  are  peculiarly  needed. 
In  my  intercourse  with  society  of  late,  I  have  been  more  and 
more  convinced  of  this.  I  have  noticed  a  tendency  to  gid- 
diness, volatility,  and  foolish  talking  and  jesting.  In  some 
cases,  I  have  been  surprised  to  learn  that  those  in  whom  I 
had  noticed  these  things  were  professors  of  religion.  I  am 
inclined  to  think  that  this  is  more  manifest  when  young  ladies 
and  young  gentlemen  are  engaged  in  conversation  with  one 


EXTRACTS  FROM  LETTERS  TO  MISS  GRANT.      125 

another.  I  recollect  meeting  a  minister  and  his  daughter 
of  fifteen  or  sixteen.  She  was  introduced  to  our  company. 
We  noticed  her  apparent  thoughtlessness,  and  spoke  of  it  to 
each  other  with  a  feeling  that  she  was  a  child,  and  would 
need  a  prudent  mother's  care.  We  soon  learned,  to  our  sur- 
prise, that  she  professed  piety,  and  would  like  to  go  on  a 
mission.  This  is  an  extreme  case  ;  but  I  have  seen  many 
others,  though  less  marked,  which  have  led  me  to  tremble 
for  the  church.  Have  we  not  reason  to  fear  that  too  many 
of  the  young  persons  in  our  churches  lose  sight  of  the  dis- 
tinction between  believers  and  unbelievers  ?  Is  not  this  a 
time  when  there  is  great  need  of  watchfulness  and  prayer  ? 
O,  how  important  that  young  Christians  should  take  Christ 
for  their  example,  and  become  holy  as  he  was  holy,  harm- 
less and  undefiled  as  he  was !  How  important  that  all  who 
are  united  to  Christ,  should  live  in  such  a  manner  as  to  avoid 
the  appearance  of  evil !  May  the  Lord  teach  the  dearly 
beloved  in  our  seminary  as  no  man  can  teach  them." 

"  Several  clergymen  travelled  some  distance  with  our 
company.  Much  of  their  conversation  was  interesting  ;  but 
I  have  some  sighs  in  my  heart  for  a  more  holy  ministry." 

"  May  the  Lord  guide  us  in  all  our  plans,  and  in  all  our 
labors.  May  we  feel  our  dependence,  be  humble  before 
God,  and  by  his  abundant  grace  be  prepared  to  receive  from 
our  heavenly  Father  great  and  increasing  blessings  on  the 
beloved  institution  which  has  been  our  joint  care." 
11* 


PART     II. 

THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE 


SECTION    I. 
2'he  Buckland  School. 

FoK  six  successive  winters,  as  has  been  seen,  Miss  Lyon 
was  engaged  in  teaching  in  Buckland  or  Ashfield  ;  assisting 
Miss  Grant  at  Derry,  or  at  Ipswich,  through  the  summers. 
That  winter  school  was,  in  an  important  sense,  the  germ  of 
the  Mount  Holyoke  Seminary,  and  contributed  to  enlist 
public  opinion  in  favor  of  Miss  Lyon's  later  enterprise.  In 
Buckland,  where  she  spent  the  first  two  and  the  last  two  of 
the  six  winters,  her  school-room  was  a  hall  used  for  social 
religious  meetings  ;  and,  as  the  pupils  increased,  the  teachers 
used  their  own  rooms  for  recitations.  The  first  winter,  the 
school  numbered  twenty-five  ;  the  last,  nearly  one  hundred. 
The  scholars  of  one  winter  were  an  advertisement  for  the 
next.  Hiding  herself  in  the  shadow  of  her  own  loved  hills, 
happy  in  her  work,  and  seeking  only  to  do  it  well,  she  and 
her  assistant  were  often  occupied  with  it  twelve  hours  out  of 
the  twenty-four.  Miss  Hannah  White  aided  her  every  win- 
ter after  the  first ;  Miss  Louisa  Billings,  now  Mrs.  Russell, 
of  East  Randolph,  was  the  only  other  teacher  regularly  em- 
ployed in  the  school  ;  but  the  more  advanced  pupils  often 
acted  as  monitors,  when  their  services  were  needed. 

The  school  was  moderate  in  its  expenses  ;   the  families 


THE    BUCKLAND    SCHOOL.  127 

near  by,  sensible  of  its  advantages,  made  every  effort  to 
board  the  pupils,  one  family  receiving  twelve,  and  another 
fourteen.  The  friends  of  the  school  opened  their  houses, 
not  to  make  a  living,  but  to  accommodate  the  young  women, 
who  were  expected  to  wait  on  themselves  as  much  as  they 
could  without  hindering  the  work  of  the  family.  They  either 
did  their  own  washing  or  sent  it  home.  Tuition  was  three 
dollars  per  quarter,  and  board  from  one  dollar  to  one  dollar 
twenty-five  cents  per  week.  This  school  becoming  the  re- 
sort of  many  who  had  been,  or  expected  to  be,  teachers,  and 
Miss  Lyon  aiming  to  fit  them  for  their  work,  reading,  writing, 
spelling,  mental  and  written  arithmetic,  geography,  English 
grammar,  and  the  Scriptures  were  made  leading  studies. 
Herself  a  pattern  teacher  in  them  all,  she  showed  every 
pupil  how  to  Ceach.  After  the  first  winter,  she  introduced 
one  or  two  higher  branches,  varying  the  choice  so  as  to  meet 
the  wants  and  wishes  of  the  former  pupils.  The  celebrity 
of  the  school  in  that  region  was  such,  that  to  have  attended 
it  one  or  more  winters  became  a  letter  of  recommendation 
to  a  candidate  for  teaching.  If  she  had  the  imitativeness, 
tact,  or  talent  to  make  her  scholars  do  as  well  as  she  had 
been  made  to  do,  she  was  sure  to  be  employed  and  to  be 
wanted  in  the  same  district  the  next  year.  Though  the  word 
had  not  then  found  its  way  thither,  it  was,  to  all  intents  and 
purposes,  a  normal  school. 

The  religious  character  of  the  Buckland  school,  more 
than  any  thing  else,  drew  the  hearts  of  the  good  people  to- 
ward it.  Daughters  who  went  thither  thoughtless  and  bent 
on  pleasure,  returned  home  serious,  and  bent  on  doing  good. 
The  gentle  influences  of  Heaven  falling  on  the  school,  its 
members  were  turned  from  the  path  of  sin  and  death  to 
that  of  holiness  and  life,  till,  to  the  churches  in  the  vicinity, 
it  became  a  consecrated  spot.  In  many  a  working-man's 
house,  at  many  a  family  altar,  that  school  was  remembered 
with  earnest  prayer  and  with  pious  gratitude.     The  absent 


128  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

daughter  and  her  youthful  companions  were  prayed  for 
together,  with  hope  and  trust  that  there  they  might  learn 
the  way  of  life.  Ministers  in  the  sanctuary,  when  they 
prayed  for  colleges,  did  not  forget  the  school  at  Buckland. 
Pastors  and  people  alike  felt  that,  there,  education  was  truly 
a  handmaid  to  religion. 

It  has  already  been  seen,  that,  after  Miss  Grant  removed 
from  Derry  to  Ipswich,  she  kept  her  school  open  through  the 
year,  and  conferred  with  Miss  Lyon  with  reference  to  uniting 
their  labors  for  winters  as  well  as  summers.  Miss  Lyon  was 
nearly  a  year  considering  the  questions.  Where  can  I  do  the 
greatest  good  }  Where  am  I  called  to  serve  my  Lord  and 
Master.'  At  Buckland  and  Ashfield,  she  was  surrounded  by 
sensible  and  efficient  young  women,  who  looked  to  her  with 
filial  confidence  and  respect,  and  who,  in  most  cases,  could  not 
command  the  means  to  go  to  the  more  distant  and  more  ex- 
pensive school  at  Ipswich.  By  them  she  seemed  to  bfe  able  to 
take  hold  of  society,  as  of  a  sheet  knit  by  its  four  corners, 
and  raise  it  towards  heaven.  For  them  she  had  given  up  all 
elegant  leisure,  and  hours  of  literary  recreation.  Many  of 
them  she  had  pointed  to  the  cross  of  Christ,  and  been  the  in- 
strument of  opening  to  them,  in  the  certain  future,  the  gate 
of  heaven,  the  entrance  to  his  presence.  Her  spiritual  chil- 
dren, her  sisters  in  Christ,  as  they  were,  could  she  leave  them 
to  be  guided  by  other  and  unknown  hands  ? 

She  was  also  in  the  midst  of  a  community  who  appreciated 
her  worth.  Enough  was  subscribed  by  the  friends  of  female 
education  in  that  region  to  erect  a  suitable  building  for  the 
permanent  accommodation  of  the  school.  The  Franklin 
Association  of  Ministers  passed  resolves,  requesting  her  to 
continue  in  that  part  of  the  state.  Dr.  Packard,  of  Shel- 
burne,  and  others,  personally  urged  her  to  continue  with 
them. 

In  view  of  these  considerations,  she  was,  at  first,  disin- 
clined to  leave  her  field   of  labor  among  her  native  hills. 


AN   ANXIOUS    QUESTION.  129 

Writing  to  Miss  G.  on  the  subject  from  Buckland,  January 
22,  1829,  she  says,  "  Had  you  made  the  proposal  contained 
m  your  last  two  years  ago,  I  should  have  had  no  doubt  about 
the  path  of  duty.  But  within  this  time,  I  have  given  encour- 
agement of  continuing  in  this  region  winter  after  winter. 
Within  this  period,  the  number  of  the  friends  of  my  school 
has  greatly  increased,  till  now  there  are  many  who  would 
not  justify  my  leaving  this  region,  except  for  obvious  and 
sufficient  reasons. 

"  The  present  necessities  of  this  region  ;  the  experience  I 
have  had  in  attempting,  during  five  winters,  to  accommodate 
my  plan  to  the  wants  of  this  community ;  the  increased  num- 
ber of  schools  in  the  vicinity  of  Ipswich,  compared  with  the 
scarcity  here  ;  your  abundant  ability  alone  to  form  all  your 
plans ;  the  ease  with  which  you  could  procure  experienced 
assistants  in  the  winter, —  lead  me  to  doubt  very  much  whether 
we  should  do  right  to  be  together  the  whole  year.  In 
endeavoring  to  decide,  I  do  not  estimate  what  I  should 
accomplish  with  you,  but  compare  what  you  would  accom- 
plish with  my  assistance  with  what  you  would  do  with  the 
assistance  of  other  experienced  teachers.  This  I  have  con- 
sidered a  just  balance,  and,  weighed  in  this,  you  can  judge, 
as  well  as  I,  how  the  subject  appears  to  me.  Since  I  last 
saw  you,  the  importance  of  this  field  has  increased  in  my 
estimation.     May  we  both  be  directed  from  above." 

There  was  one  personal  consideration  which  weighed 
much  with  Miss  Lyon  in  favor  of  Ipswich.  This  was  her 
extreme  attachment  to  Miss  Grant,  whose  presence  was  sun- 
light to  her  soul.  The  peculiar  enjoyment  she  derived  from 
the  society  of  her  friend,  she  felt,  should  be  allowed  some 
weight  in  the  decision  of  the  question.  Miss  Lyon  also  saw 
that  her  aid  was  greatly  needed  the  year  round  in  the  large 
and  increasing  school  at  Ipswich,  especially .  if  the  way 
should  be  opened  for  Miss  G.  to  do  any  thing  towards  laying 
the  foundation  for  a  permanent  seminary. 


130  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

Miss  Lyon's  multiplied  labors,  near  the  close  of  the  sum. 
mer  term  at  Ipswich,  in  1829,  the  journey  thence  to  Buck- 
land,  and  the  care  and  toil  connected  with  commencing  her 
own  school  there  for  the  winter,  together  with  a  severe  cold, 
almost  prostrated  her.  Her  friends,  as  well  as  herself,  saw 
that  she  might  injure  her  health,  and  be  lost  to  the  cause  of 
education. 

Writing  to  Miss  Grant  soon  after  her  school  at  Buckland 
commenced,  she  says  of  these  ills,  "  Perhaps  they  were  sent 
in  kindness  to  convince  my  friends  here  that  my  health 
can  fail." 

When  her  friends  in  the  western  part  of  the  state  saw  that 
she  could  not  with  safety  labor  in  two  fields  so  distant  from 
each  other,  they  urged  her  to  locate  herself  with  them.  Tc 
this  request  she  had  but  one  reply  —  that  she  had  sacred!} 
pledged  her  assistance  to  Miss  Grant  for  summers. 

In  view  of  her  happiness,  her  health,  and  her  consequent 
usefulness,  Miss  Lyon  finally  decided  to  unite  with  Miss 
Grant  for  the  two  succeeding  winters  as  well  as  summers, 
leaving  the  question  as  to  the  place  of  her  labors  after  that 
period  for  future  consideration.  In  a  letter  of  December  9, 
1829,  communicating  this  decision  to  Miss  Grant,  she  says, 
"  It  is  fully  understood,  that  I  leave  Buckland  because  I  con-, 
sider  it  injudicious  to  attempt  to  occupy  two  fields  of  labor 
so  distant  from  each  other.  Dr.  Packard,  as  well  as  some 
others,  was  disposed  to  come  directly  to  the  conclusion  that 
it  was  my  duty  to  separate  from  you  altogether,  as  soon  as 
possible.  This  question  I  have  carefully  avoided,  except 
when  I  have  been  pressed  upon  it.  Dr.  P.  inquired  whether 
I  should  be  ready  to  leave  you,  if  duty  should  be  plain  ;  to 
which  I  could  give  but  one  answer.  He  thought  it  not  best 
that  I  should  give  much  encouragement  of  returning  here,  at 
the  end  of  two  years,  as  the  matter  is  so  doubtful,  but  advised 
me  to  fix  my  eye  on  some  one  or  two  confidential  friends, 
and  if,  in  six  months  or  a  year,  or  at  any  future  period    I 


THE    QUESTION    DECIDED.  131 

should  think  it  my  duty  to  direct  my  attention  to  this  vicinity, 
communicate  it  to  these  friends,  depending  on  them  to  bring 
the  school  to  the  best  spot  without  collision  or  commotion. 

"  One  year  ago,  I  should  not  have  supposed  that  I  could  so 
quietly  and  cheerfully  have  decided  to  leave  this  beloved 
field.  The  prospect  of  my  future  labors  is  pleasant,  but 
excites  no  high  anticipations.  Your  society  will  always  be 
to  me  a  source  of  the  highest  earthly  enjoyment,  but  I  do  not 
mean  to  make  it  '  my  meat  and  my  drink.'  " 

This  decision  was,  no  doubt,  a  wise  one.  She  had  won 
confidence  and  honor  in  her  own  country.  He  whose  coun- 
sel she  devoutly  sought,  saw  that  it  would  forward  the  work 
which  he  had  raised  her  up  to  accomplish,  if  she  should  for 
a  time  fully  identify  herself  with  the  Ipswich  school. 

When  it  was  found  that  Miss  Lyon  was  unalterably  deter- 
mined to  continue  with  Miss  Grant,  an  attempt  was  made  to 
induce  the  latter  to  remove  to  the  western  part  of  the  state. 
The  Franklin  Association  of  Ministers  passed  some  resolves, 
and,  through  the  Rev.  Thomas  Shepard,  corresponded  with 
Miss  Grant  on  the  subject ;  but,  for  reasons  not  necessary  to 
mention  here,  the  effort  did  not  result  in  her  removal. 

Miss  Lyon  afterwards  said  that  it  was  at  Buckland,  sur- 
rounded by  the  young  women  who  have  been  described  in 
the  foregoing  pages,  that  she  first  conceived  the  vague  notion 
of  "  a  seminary  which  should  be  so  moderate  in  its  expenses 
as  to  be  open  to  the  daughters  of  farmers  and  artisans,  and 
to  teachers  who  might  be  mainly  dependent  for  their  support 
on  their  own  exertions." 

Rev.  Dr.  Packard,  of  Shelburne,  submitted  rather  than 
consented  to  her  removing  entirely  from  Buckland.  She  did 
not  forget  the  advice  he  gave  her,  which  is  contained  in  her 
letter  of  Dec.  9,  1829.  One  of  her  first  steps,  after  deciding 
to  leave  Ipswich  to  embark  in  her  great  enterprise,  was  to 
communicate  her  decision  to  him.  He  was  at  Ipswich  at  the 
first  formal  meeting  that  the  friends  of  the  project  ever  held 


132  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

was  chairman  of  the  general  committee,  and  was  the  first 
agent  employed  to  act  in  reference  to  the  subject.  He  was 
a  friend  when  most  needed,  in  the  very  infancy  of  the  en- 
terprise ;  and  by  the  time  he  withdrew,  there  were  others 
ready  to  take  his  place.  In  one  of  Miss  Lyon's  letters  to 
Miss  G.,  written  in  December,  1834,  she  says,  "  In  the  plan 
for  the  proposed  seminary.  Dr.  Packard's  whole  soul  is  en- 
listed. It  is  his  first  and  great  object,  occupying  his  time  by 
day,  and  many  of  his  thoughts  by  night.  I  sometimes  think 
that  in  interest  he  will  even  go  beyond  myself.  In  devising 
ways  and  means  to  accomplish  it",  his  mind  acts  with  all  its 
peculiar  originality.  I  have  long  desired,  almost  more  than 
any  thing,  that  some  gentleman,  who  has  the  habit  of  acting, 
would  take  hold  of  this  object  as  his  own,  and  devote  to  it  his 
time  and  his  energies.  It  appears  to  me  his  zeal  and  his 
action  may  be  essential  to  the  accomplishment  of  this  object." 
Not  only  was  Dr.  Packard  a  connecting  link  between  the 
school  at  Buckland  and  the  Holyoke  Seminary,  but  the  min- 
isters who  had  been  so  much  interested  in  the  former  school 
were  among  the  first  to  welcome  the  latter  to  their  vicinity. 


SECTION   II. 

The  Ipswich  School.* 

The  school  conducted  by  Miss  Grant,  first  at  Derry,  and 
afterwards  at  Ipswich,  owed  much  of  its  prosperity  to  the 
faithful  and  efficient  aid  of  Miss  Lyon,  and  in  turn  contributed 
much  to  prepare  and  enlist  both  herself  and  the  public  in  the 
novel  work  of  founding  a  permanent  female  seminary.     A 

*  In  this  account  of  the  Ipswich  school,  the  writer  has  made  free  use 
of  an  article  published  in  the  American  Quarterly  Register,  and  also  in 
the  last  catalojrue  of  Miss  Grant. 


THE    IPSWICH    SCHOOL.  133 

somewhat  full  account  of  that  school  is  therefore  demanded, 
both  as  a  part  of  her  own  biography,  and  of  the  early  history 
of  the  institution  at  South  Hadley. 

Miss  Lyon  threw  her  soul  into  that  school  as  entirely  as  if 
it  had  been  her  own.  While  other  teachers,  for  one  reason 
or  another,  vacated  their  places  in  the  school,  Miss  Lyon 
stood  at  her  post,  coveting  the  heat  and  burden  of  the  day. 
Never  had  a  principal  a  more  faithful  and  cordial  assistant. 
In  after  years,  did  not  God  remember  this  faithfulness,  in 
raising  up  so  many  fellow-laborers,  in  whom  Miss  Lyon's 
heart  could  safely  trust  ? 

The  principal  features  of  the  plan  on  which  the  Adams 
Female  Academy  at  Derry  *  had  been  conducted  by  Miss 
Grant,  were  as  follows  :  A  thorough  course  of  English  studies, 
occupying  three  years;  the  arrangement  of  the  pupils,  at 
entrance,  in  three  regular  classes,  each  occupying  a  year ; 
provision  for  devoting  much  time  and  attention  to  biblical 
study  and  instruction  ;  the  exercise  of  the  same  care  and 
supervision  over  the  young  ladies  in  and  out  of  school,  as  if 
they  were  her  own  daughters  ;  while  certificates,  at  the  close, 
were  given  to  those,  and  only  to  those,  who,  on  examination, 
gave  evidence  of  having  gained  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
each  study  in  the  prescribed  course.  The  academy  at  Derry 
was  continued  on  this  plan  four  years,  but  no  sessions  were 
held  during  the  winters. 

In  the  winter  of  1828,  the  Trustees  of  the  Ipswich  Academy 
made  arrangements  with  Miss  Grant  to  occupy  their  building 
for  a  female  seminary  of  a  high  order,  leasing  it  to  her,  by 
permission  of  the  proprietors,  free  of  rent.  The  responsi- 
bility of  furnishing  instruction  and  conducting  the  school  was 
devolved  upon  her ;  but  they  were  to  afford  such  aid  as  they 
could  in  carrying  the  design  of  the  school  into  effect. 


*  At  the  division  of  Londonderry,  the  part  in  which  the  Adams  Fe- 
male Academy  was  located  took  the  name  of  Deny. 
12 


134  THE   GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

The  trustees  pledged  themselves  to  provide  the  members 
of  the  school  with  accommodation  in  families,  so  that  two 
pupils  should  have  the  exclusive  occupancy  of  one  room,  and 
that  in  winter  not  more  than  four  should  study  by  one  fire. 
From  and  after  the  spring  of  1830,  a  house  capable  of  ac- 
commodating thirty-three  boarders  was  occupied  exclusively 
for  the  school.  The  principal  and  most  of  the  teachers 
usually  boarded  in  this  family,  and  its  privileges  were  always 
in  great  request.  The  young  ladies  there  were,  of  course, 
directly  under  the  eye  of  the  teachers.  They  also  took  the 
care  of  engaging  boarding-places  in  town,  and  of  assigning 
rooms  and  room-mates,  thus  securing  a  great  control  over 
the  influences  operating  on  the  pupils  out  of  school.  It  was 
made  the  business  of  a  particular  teacher  to  acquaint  her- 
self with  the  wants  and  wishes  of  the  young  ladies  in  regard 
to  their  boarding-places,  rooms,  and  room-mates,  and  to  make 
the  best  possible  arrangements  for  their  personal  comfort  and 
accommodation.  Those  who  were  in  the  large  boarding- 
house,  and  those  who  were  not,  bore  to  the  Principal  the 
same  degree  of  responsibility  ;  all  had  the  same  regular 
hours  for  meals,  sleep,  relaxation,  exercise,  and  study. 

Of  the  one  hundred  scholars  who  gathered  around  Miss 
Grant  and  Miss  Lyon  at  Ipswich  in  the  spring  of  1828,  more 
than  thirty  had  been  their  pupils  at  Derry.  Bringing  the 
spirit  of  love  and  obedience,  they  gave  a  pleasant  type  to  the 
school.  A  part  of  these  thirty  felt  that  they  owed  a  debt, 
which  they  could  never  pay,  to  teachers  who  had,  in  preced- 
ing years,  held  to  their  lips  the  waters  of  life,  yea,  meekly 
and  patiently  taught  them  to  go  themselves  to  the  ever-flow- 
ing fountain.  They  evinced  their  gratitude  by  a  readiness 
to  do  all  that  in  them  lay,  by  their  influence  and  example, 
to  assist  these  teachers  in  their  efforts  to  make  a  good  school. 

The  school  at  Derry  and  at  Ipswich  was  one  in  its  plans, 
instruction,  and  general  results.  Many  older  scholars  gath- 
ered to  it,  and  it  numbered  among  its  pupils  the  daughters 
of  nearly  every  state  in  the  Union. 


THE    IPSWICH    SCHOOL.  135 

In  1831,  there  were  one  hundred  and  ninety  pupils ;  but 
as  there  were  not  suitable  and  available  accommodations  for 
so  many,  the  number  was  reduced  ;  first,  by  not  receiving  any 
under  the  age  of  fourteen  ;  second,  by  requiring  certain  quali- 
fications for  admission  ;  and  finally,  by  limiting  the  number 
of  boarders. 

From  the  time  that  Miss  Lyon  commenced  her  labors  at 
Derry  till  the  fall  of '34,  she  was  in  the  school  every  season, 
except  two  winters  and  one  summer.  For  two  years  of  that 
jjme.  Miss  Grant  being  absent  from  the  school  on  account  of 
her  health,  the  care  of  it  devolved  mostly  on  Miss  Lyon. 
For  the  whole  ten  years,  she  was  inscribing  ineffaceably  on 
the  minds  and  hearts  of  these  pupils  her  name  and  character, 
as  she  did  also  on  her  Buckland  and  Ashfield  scholars.  On 
them  she  left  the  impression,  that  for  efficiency,  for  unpre- 
tending goodness,  for  power  to  direct  and  control  mind,  and 
for  skill  in  exhibiting  divine  truth,  she  had  scarce  an  equal 
among  the  daughters  of  men. 

As  has  been  already  stated,  some  account  of  this  school 
belongs  to  the  history  of  Miss  Lyon,  because  she  did  so  much 
to  make  it  what  it  became,  because  her  service  there  edu- 
cated her  for  her  future  work,  and  because  that  school  was 
really  the  Holyoke  Seminary,  dwelling  in  tents,  led  by  the 
cloud  and  the  fire,  and  not  yet  honored  with  a  name.  The 
active  friends  of  the  new  seminary,  in  their  drafts  upon  the 
benevolent  public  for  its  accommodations,  every  where  pleaded 
that  they  intended  to  stereotype  the  Ipswich  Seminary,  and 
afford  the  same  and  greater  advantages  at  less  expense.  It 
was  the  known  character,  and  wide  and  substantial  usefulness 
of  the  Ipswich  school,  that  gave  to  those  pleas  and  arguments 
their  power  and  success. 

Two  wealthy,  active,  original,  practical  minds,  whose  rul- 
ing passion  was  to  benefit  immortal  souls,  had  consecrated 
their  thoughts,  energies,  and  affections  to  the  Ipswich  school. 
They  taught,  not  for  money,  nor  for  fame,  but  from  the  love 


136  THE   6BEAT    STSTTGGLE. 

of  God,  and  to  do  good.  Looking  beyond  parents  and  guardi- 
ans, they  received  their  scholars  as  from  God,  and  sought  to 
train  them,  in  the  morning  of  their  existence,  for  his  everlast- 
ing service,  and  held  themselves  accountable  to  him  for  the 
manner  in  which  they  fulfilled  the  trust.  The  great  and  all- 
absorbing  question  with  these  ladies,  by  night  and  by  day,  in 
term  time  and  in  vacations,  was  how  to  prepare  the  minds 
intrusted  to  them  for  the  greatest  possible  usefulness  and 
happiness,  here  and  hereafter.  To  this  end  scholarship,  liter- 
ature, and  science  were  all  made  subservient.  It  was  to  thij 
end  alone  that  efforts  were  made  to  provide  suitable  and  per- 
manent buildings  for  the  accommodation  of  the  Female 
Seminary  at  Ipswich. 

The  proportion  of  teachers  employed  in  the  school  was 
about  one  to  fifteen  pupils,  and  the  other  ladies  thus  engaged 
were  of  one  mind  with  Misses  Grant  and  Lyon.  Consecrat- 
ing their  energy,  as  well-as  their  time,  to  their  work,^they  did 
not  fall  into  the  way  of  doing  as  little  as  they  could  and  yet 
escape  censure,  but  they  sought  to  do  as  much  for  every 
pupil  as  would  be  of  any  use  to  her. 

The  school,  neither  at  Derry  nor  at  Ipswich,  included  in  its 
course  of  instruction  needlework,  instrumental  music,  or  the 
foreign  languages.  It  proposed  to  furnish  a  thorough  Eng- 
lish education,  to  make  its  pupils  intelligent  readers,  easy 
writers,  and  companionable  friends,  and  to  give  them  such  a 
knowledge  of  liberal  studies  as  would  enable  them,  in  an  un- 
embarrassed manner,  to  acquit  themselves  honorably  and  use- 
fully in  any  station  of  life  which  they  might  be  called  to  fill. 
But  before  Miss  Lyon  left  Ipswich,  the  course  of  study  em- 
braced nearly  the  same  branches  and  text  books  as  that  at 
South  Hadley  does  now.  The  study  of  Latin  was  introduced 
into  Ipswich  Seminary  in  1835.  In  a  circular  which  Miss 
Lyon  sent  that  fall  to  all  the  candidates  for  admission  to  her 
new  institution,  she  says,  "  It  is  expected  that  the  Mount 
Holyoke  Female  Seminary  will  take  the  Ipswich  Female 


THE    IPSWICH    SCHOOL.  137 

Seminary  for  its  literary  standard.  It  is  to  adopt  the  same 
high  standard  of  mental  discipline,  the  same  slow,  thoroui^h, 
and  patient  manner  of  study,  the  same  systematic  and  exten- 
sive course  of  solid  branches." 

Many  improvements  which  are  often  spoken  of  as  having 
originated  within  a  few  years,  were  introduced  into  Miss 
Grant's  school  at  Derry  or  at  Ipswich. 

An  hour  was  assigned  to  each  recitation,  and  the  teacher 
devoted  it  to  examining  ihe  class  in  the  lesson  of  the  day,  to 
explaining,  illustrating,  or  enforcing  it,  and  to  pointing  out 
its  difficulties,  or  directing  the  attention  of  the  class  to  pre- , 
liminary  questions  and  questions  of  instruction.  The  exer- 
cise elicited  thought,  and  accustomed  the  pupil  to  express 
her  ideas  in  a  clear,  correct,  and  forcible  manner.  The 
standard  of  recitations  was  unfailing  accuracy,  and  a  major- 
ity of  the  pupils  attained  it.  The  teachers,  aiming  at  a 
thorough  and  symmetrical  cultivation  of  the  mind,  selected 
the  studies,  and  laid  their  plans  for  recitations,  with  refer- 
ence to  that  end.  The  pupils  pursued  not  more  than  two  or 
three  studies  at  a  time,  but  they  were  expected  to  investigate 
the  subjects  studied  till  they  had  made  the  ideas  their  own, 
if  correct,  or  found  out  the  fallacy,  if  they  were  false.  Free 
discussion  gave  life  to  the  recitation,  and  stimulated  the  pupil 
to  make  thorough  preparation. 

Any  pupil  was  allowed  to  bring  a  written  question  on  any 
part  of  the  lesson  which  she  wished  to  hear  more  fully  ex- 
plained, and  each  scholar  was  liable  to  be  called  on  for  the 
explanation,  except  the  one  who  presented  the  difficulty. 
The  different  answers  from  all  sides  would  increase  the  in- 
terest of  the  exercise  so  much  that  the  hour  assigned  for  the 
lesson  would  pass  rapidly  away,  and  close  unexpectedly  to 
all.  In  the  study  of  mental  philosophy,  particularly,  these 
discussions  were  very  animated,  and  completely  absorbed 
the  attention  of  the  pupils.  Not  only  was  the  text  subjected 
to  examination  and  criticism,  but  questions  suggested  by  the 
12* 


138  THE    GREAT    STEtJGGLE. 

lesson  were  discussed,  sometimes  in  several  successive  exer- 
cises. The  object  aimed  at  was  not  merely  to  store  away 
knowledge  for  a  lifetime,  but  to  prepare  the  pupils  to  read 
understandingly  on  the  subject,  and  to  form  independent  and 
correct  opinions.  In  all  the  branches  of  study,  the  pupils 
were  led  to  understand  that  they  were  only  taking  a  glance 
into  fields  of  hidden  treasures,  which  they  were  to  explore 
in  future  years. 

The  government  of  the  school  was  a  kind  of  theocracy, 
the  teachers  standing  between  the  pupils  and  God,  to  assist 
them  in  learning  his  will.  Yet  there  was  a  copious  infusion 
of  true  republicanism.  The  regulations  were  referred  to 
the  immutable  standard  of  right  and  wrong.  Is  it  right  ? 
Is  it  in  accordance  with  the  law  of  love  .'*  were  questions 
constantly  pressed  home,  with  the  hope  of  leading  the  scholar 
habitually  to  ask  them  for  herself.  Conscience  was  brought 
to  bear  on  courtesy,  neatness,  dress,  and  every  thing  which 
affects  personal  character  and  usefulness. 

A  rule,  and  its  reason,  were  generally  given  together.  Miss 
Lyon,  on  requesting  the  young  ladies  not  to  visit  each  other 
on  the  Sabbath,  would  say,  "  It  is  not  in  our  power  to  make 
you  keep  the  day  holy  in  your  hearts,  yet,  as  standing  in  the 
place  of  parents,  we  are  bound  by  the  fourth  commandment 
to  see  that  you  keep  it  externally."  When  she  told  them 
that  they  were  expected  to  be  at  meeting  on  the  Sabbath, 
she  would  quote  the  words  of  the  apostle,  "  Not  forsaking 
the  assembling  of  yourselves  together,  as  the  manner  of 
some  is."  The  likeness  of  the  good  man  to  "  a  tree  which 
bringeth  forth  his  fruit  in  his  season,"  was  the  unfailing  sanc- 
tion of  punctuality.  In  the  time  of  green  fruit,  Paul's  direc 
tion  to  the  jailer,  "  Do  thyself  no  harm,"  was  enforced  upon 
the  pupils.  All  violations  of  physiological  laws,  such  as 
over-indulgence  of  the  appetite,  thin  shoes,  tight  waists, 
were  shown,  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  pupils,  to  be  violation? 
of  the  sLvth  commandment.     By  the  eighth,  using  things 


THE    irSWlCH    SCHOOL.  139 

without  leave,  injuring  borrowed  articles,  defacing  furniture 
not  their  own,  and  all  careless  use  of  common  property,  was 
shown  to  be  .forbidden.  The  teachers  were  glad  to  have 
every  practical  proposition  of  theirs  tested  by  the  Bible. 
To  the  remark,  that  "  an  eminent  teacher  was  much  assisted 
in  governing  scholars  by  studying  and  applying  the  laws  of 
nations,"  they  would  reply,  "  How  much  more,  if  she  had 
studied  and  applied  the  laws  of  God ! "  This  reply  con- 
tains the  genius  of  their  mode  of  school  government,  the 
controlling  of  minds  by  God's  methods. 

The  pupils  were  led  to  govern  themselves.  A  new  regu- 
lation was  generally  distinctly  stated,  and  its  tendency  to 
promote  the  greatest  good,  on  the  whole,  clearly  exhibited. 
Their  consciences  and  judgments  approving,  all,  or  nearly 
all,  the  school  would  formally  adopt  it,  and  pledge  them- 
selves to  its  observance.  While  they  were  trusted  to  ap- 
prove of  just  and  wholesome  rules,  and  to  report  their  suc- 
cess in  keeping  them,  effectual  measures  were  adopted  to 
guard  against  and  to  detect  insincerity.  The  teachers  seemed 
to  find  the  golden  mean  between  trusting  scholars  so  much  as 
to  make  them  careless,  and  watching  them  so  closely  as  to 
make  them  sly  and  mean. 

The  system  of  accounts,  that  is,  of  scholars,  reporting 
their  success  or  failure  in  keeping  rules,  Miss  Grant  adopted 
when  an  assistant  in  Mr.  Emerson's  school.  He  had  re- 
quested his  pupils  not  to  whisper,  unless  it  was  very  neces- 
sary ;  but  they  found  it  necessary  oftener  than  conduced  to 
their  highest  improvement.  Miss  Grant  had  the  care  of  in- 
structing the  whole  school,  at  certain  hours,  in  writing  and  in 
English  grammar,  and,  with  Mr.  Emerson's  leave,  she  took 
charge  of  this  important  item  in  school  discipline.  As  she 
met  one  and  another  of  the  more  docile  and  influential 
pupils,  she  said  to  her  alone,  "  If  you  could  avoid  whisper- 
ing altogether,  I  think  it  would  be  an  advantage  to  you  and 
to  the  school ; "  and  when  the  pupil  said,  "  I  will  try,"  Miss 


140  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

G.  added,  "  Will  you  try  for  a  week  ?  "  After  a  large  num- 
ber had  pledged  themselves  to  her,  she  discussed  the  subject 
with  them  all,  dwelling  on  the  evils  of  whispering  in  school, 
and  clearly  showing  it  to  be  the  floodgate  of  idleness  and 
disorder.  When  their  minds  were  in  the  right  state  to  give 
the  right  answer,  she  put  the  question,  "  Would  you  like  to 
try  and  avoid  whispering,  and  all  communications  equivalent 
to  it,  till  this  hour  to-morrow  ?  "  On  the  morrow,  she  be- 
stowed a  look  and  a  word  of  commendation  on  those  who 
had  kept  their  resolve,  and  by  such  means,  in  a  few  weeks, 
banished  whispering  from  the  school.  She  was  careful  to 
keep  them  informed  as  to  what  were  communications,  and 
to  see  that  the  line  between  truth  and  falsehood  was  correctly 
drawn  on  their  minds  and  consciences.  Though  young  per- 
sons, who  are  weak  in  moral  principle,  may  be  injured  by 
an  indiscreet  use  of  this  system,  yet,  in  the  hands  by  which 
it  was  at  first  employed,  its  fruits  were  good.  One  lady,  who 
had  a  large  school  of  small  children,  made  a  rule  that  every 
scholar  who  whispered  should  lose  his  recess,  and,  just  before 
recess,  said  to  her  flock,  "  Those  who  have  whispered  this 
morning  may  rise,"  and  thought  she  was  pursuing  the  same 
plan  as  Misses  Grant  and  Lyon.  Two  ladies  could  not  be 
found  in  all  the  United  States,  who  would  be  more  keenly 
alive  to  the  danger  of  such  a  mode  of  proceeding  to  a  child. 
Children,  at  such  a  school,  are  trained  to  falsehood  as  regu- 
larly as  to  read  and  spell.  The  plan  is  adapted  only  to 
minds  capable  of  discriminating  between  truth  and  falsehood, 
and  in  which  reason  and  conscience  have  the  ascendency 
over  passion  and  appetite.  When  this  state  of  mind  and 
moral  principle  is  wanting.  Misses  G.  and  L.  instructed  the 
candidates  for  teaching,  who  were  under  their  care,  to  delay 
introducing  this  system  of  accounts  until,  by  moral  means 
and  appliances,  it  could  safely  be  done.  In  their  own 
schools,  from  week  to  week,  they  gave  instruction,  and  be- 
stowed individual  labor  to  implant,  or  evolve,  and  to  keep  in 


THE    IPSWICH    SCHOOL.  141 

healthful  action,  principles  of  truth  and  integrity  ;  their  object 
being  not  merely  to  lead  the  scholars  to  faithfulness  in  the 
minutiae  referred  to,  but  in  all  the  relations  of  life. 

The  following  extempore  remarks  of  Miss  Lyon  will  illus- 
trate her  method  of  introducing  a  new  regulation,  and  leading 
pupils  to  self-discipline  :  — 

"  Early  rising,  young  ladies,  is  not  rising  at  any  partic- 
ular hour  ;  for  what  is  early  for  one,  may  be  late  for  another. 
Early  rising,  for  any  individual,  is  rising  at  the  earliest  time 
proper  for  her  under  the  existing  circumstances.  The  hour 
of  rising  should  not  be  decided  on  in  the  delicious  dreami- 
ness of  the  half-waking  and  more  than  half-dozing  state  of 
one's  morning  slumbers,  but  the  decision  should  be  made 
when  you  are  up  and  awake,  with  all  your  powers  in  vigor- 
ous exercise.  In  deciding,  you  must  take  into  view -your 
age.  Young  persons,  who  have  not  fully  attained  their 
growth,  need  more  sleep  than  those  of  mature  age.  You 
must  consider  the  state  of  your  health.  Feeble  persons, 
with  constitutions  made  to  run  only  half  the  threescore  years 
and  ten  allotted  to  man,  often  need  more  sleep  than  the 
strong  and  healthy.  Some  allowance,  too,  must  be  made 
for  the  temperaments  of  different  individuals.  Some  require 
more  sleep  than  others  ;  but  those  who  need  a  large  amount 
should  take  their  additional  sleep  in  the  early  part  of  the 
night.  Who  was  it  that  said,  '  One  hour's  sleep  before  mid- 
night is  worth  two  after  ? '  Yes,  Dr.  Dwight,  a  man  of  large 
experience  and  careful  observation.  Now,  young  ladies, 
you  are  here  at  great  expense.  Your  board  and  tuition  cost 
a  great  deal,  and  your  time  ought  to  be  worth  more  than 
both ;  but,  in  order  to  get  an  equivalent  for  the  money  and 
time  you  are  spending,  you  must  be  systematic,  and  that  is 
impossible,  unless  you  have  a  regular  hour  for  rising.  If 
that  hour  is  five,  and  you  are  on  your  feet  before  the  clock 
has  done  striking,  then  you  are  punctual ;  but  if  you  lie  five 
minutes,  or  even  one,  after  that  hour  passes,  you  are  tardy, 


142  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

and  you  must  lose  a  little  respect  for  yourself  in  conse- 
quence. Persons  who  run  round  all  day,  after  the  half 
hour  they  lost  in  the  morning,  never  accomplish  much. 
You  may  know  them  by  a  rip  in  the  glove,  a  string  pinned 
to  the  bonnet,  a  shawl  left  on  the  balustrade,  which  they  had 
no  time  to  hang  up,  they  were  in  such  a  hurry  to  catch  their 
lost  thirty  minutes.  You  will  see  them  opening  their  books 
and  trying  to  study  at  the  time  of  general  exercises  in  school ; 
but  it  is  a  fruitless  race  ;  they  never  will  overtake  their  lost 
half  hour.  Good  men,  from  Abraham  to  Washington,  have 
been  early  risers." 

She  kept  on  in  this  lively  strain,  till  she  saw  the  school 
prepared  to  make  a  proper  decision,  when  she  would  say, 
"  Now,  young  ladies,  I  want  every  one  of  you  to  fix  on  an 
hour  of  rising  for  a  week  to  come.  Be  sure  not  to  fix  on 
too  early  an  hour,  for  it  would  not  injure  your  character 
nearly  so  much  to  make  a  mistake,  and  decide  to  rise  at 
six,  when  you  might  rise  at  half  past  five  without  any 
injury  to  your  health,  as  to  fail  of  meeting  your  own  ap- 
pointment." 

In  the  freshness  of  the  forenoon,  their  minds  unbeclouded 
by  over-eating,  over-study,  or  unhealthy  excitement,  the  pu- 
pils would  generally  fix  on  an  earlier  hour  for  themselves 
than  their  teachers  would  for  them. 

Miss  Lyon  would  proceed  :  "  All  who  have  decided  on 
their  time  of  rising,  for  a  week,  may  raise  their  hands." 
The  irresolute  and  the  sluggish  would  be  unable  to  come  to 
any  decision.  She  would  next  say,  "  You  may  all  rise ; 
all  means  every  one.  Yes,  all  are  on  their  feet  now.  If 
you  have  decided  on  your  time  of  rising,  you  may  take  your 
seat."  The  lovers  of  their  own  ease  and  comfort  would  be 
left  standing,  while  a  large  majority  of  the  school  were  com- 
fortably seated.  "  As  fast  as  you  fix  on  the  hour,  you  may 
take  your  seats,"  was  the  curt  and  effective  address  to  those 
who  were  still  unable  to  decide.     No  one  could  sit  down 


THE    IPSWICH    SCHOOL.  143 

undecided,  without  acting  a  falsehood,  which  was  considered 
in  the  school  dishonorable,  as  well  as  wrong.  If  any  were 
inclined  to  stand  it  out,  she  was  patient  with  them,  and  will- 
ing to  stand  as  long  as  they  did.  When  all  had  signified 
that  the  decision  was  made,  they  were  directed  to  write  down 
their  decision,  and  hand  the  papers  to  her,  or  keep  them  till 
she  called  for  them.  One  of  the  first  remarks  on  the  suc- 
ceeding day  would  be,  "  How  did  you  succeed,  young  ladies, 
about  rising  ?  You  may  all  stgind.  Those  who  were  up 
this  morning  at  the  time  they  set  yesterday,  may  take  their 
seats."  A  very  large  majority  would  be  found  to  have  kept 
their  resolutions,  and  the  delinquents  could  complain  of  no 
one  but  themselves.  Having  broken  their  own  rules,  and 
fallen  short  of  their  own  standard,  they  could  not  but  feel 
self-condemned. 

When  there  was  not  time  for  the  teacher  to  give  the  rea- 
son for  a  rule,  the  pupils  would  still  render  a  cheerful  com- 
pliance, feeling  a  childlike  confidence  that  their  teachers 
knew  better  than  themselves  what  was  for  their  good,  and 
were  aiming  to  promote  it.  The  early  hour  for  retiring,  and 
other  specific  regulations,  were  often  observed  in  this  man- 
ner by  pupils,  in  the  early  part  of  the  term  ;  but  in  the  sequel 
all  the  rules  were  duly  explained.  The  pupils  were  led  to 
look  at  these  requirements  in  the  same  light  as  their  teach- 
ers, and  to  pronounce  them  in  the  hidden  recesses  of  their 
hearts,  as  well  as  by  a  formal  vote,  just  and  good.  They 
appeared  to  have  a  hand  in  the  government ;  but  they  did 
what  they  chose,  because  they  chose  what  was  wise  and 
good.  The  reins  were  so  hidden  in  their  hearts,  and  so  held 
in  hands  of  love,  as  never  to  be  seen  or  felt  by  well-disposed 
pupils  ;  and  yet  they  were  turned  whithersoever  right,  reason, 
and  duty  led. 

No  question  was  ever  left  to  the  vote  of  the  school,  unless 
there  was  a  moral  certainty  that  they  would  decide  right. 
In  conversation  even  with  a  pupil,  Miss  Lyon  exercised  great 


144  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

adroitness  in  preventing  her  from  committing  herself  on  the 
wrong  side.  If  there  was  not  time  to  exhibit  a  requirement 
in  such  a  light  as  to  bring  the  school  heartily  to  concur  in  it, 
it  was  taken  for  granted  that  they  understood  it,  and  would 
observe  it ;  and  but  few  disappointed  such  expectations. 

Miss  Lyon  was  firmness  itself  in  case  of  a  refractory  pupil. 
The  only  outburst  of  passion  that  was  ever  manifested  in  the 
school  at  Ipswich  was  at  a  time  when  she  was  presiding. 
A  pupil,  of  woman's  height,  refused  to  go  into  the  assembly- 
room  at  nine  in  the  morning.  Miss  Lyon  said  to  her,  "  You 
must  go  into  the  large  room."  The  young  woman  was  in 
the  library.  As  she  refused  to  move,  Miss  Lyon  requested 
two  other  pupils  to  assist  her.  The  young  lady  not  helping 
herself  at  all,  they  drew  her  from  the  library  through  the 
entry  and  a  recitation-room  into  the  assembly-room.  The 
scholars,  all  in  their  seats,  looked  on  with  amazement.  When 
she  was  fairly  in  the  room,  so  that  the  door  could  be  shut. 
Miss  Lyon,  who  was  in  the  desk,  said  to  her  aids,  "  That  will 
do  ;"  and  turning  to  the  school,  she  said,  "  You  may  study," 
and  the  young  lady,  on  the  floor,  was  left  to  her  own  reflec- 
tions. She  continued  a  member  of  the  school  several  terms, 
and  though  she  was  always  a  source  of  anxiety  and  care  to 
her  teachers,  she  never  after  attempted  openly  to  contend 
with  the  authority  of  the  school.  Notwithstanding  the  school 
was  nearly  petrified  with  astonishment,  yet,  at  the  word,  the 
scholars  turned  their  eyes  to  their  books,  and  saved  their 
exclamations  for  another  time  and  place. 

The  pupils  felt  a  lively  interest  in  the  reputation,  charac- 
ter, and  usefulness  of  the  school.  Near  the  commencement 
of  the  term,  Miss  Grant  or  Miss  Lyon  would  speak  of  the 
magnitude  of  the  work  with  which  the  teachers  were  in- 
trusted, in  a  very  solemn  and  impressive  manner,  and  say 
they  should  be  crushed  under  it,  were  it  not  for  the  hope 
that  their  scholars  would  help  them  in  sustaining  it.  After 
showing  them  that  the  responsibility  lay  on  the  scholars  as 


THE    IPSWICH    SCHOOL.  145 

well  as  on  the  teachers,  the  speaker  would  say,  in  tones  of 
love,  "  And  now,  my  dear  pupils,  may  we  depend  on  you  to 
help  us  bear  this  burden  ?  Will  you  unite  your  efforts  with 
ours  in  promoting  the  welfare  of  this  beloved  seminary  ? 
Your  predecessors  have  made  the  school  what  it  is  ;  will  you 
see  to  it  that  it  does  not  suffer  in  your  hands  ?  Will  you 
leave  it  as  good  as  you  found  it  ?"  Every  heart  and  every 
eye  would  answer,  "  Yes."  "  I  thought  we  might,  I  feel  that 
we  may,  lean  on  you,"  the  speaker  would  say  ;  "  and  if  you 
will  each  take  good  care  of  one,  we  can  take  care  of  the 
rest."  Those  teachers  could  send  electric  thrills  from  heart 
to  heart,  and  their  appeals  were  not  lost  upon  their  pupils. 
They  were  made  to  feel  that  the  reputation  and  character  of 
the  school  were  part  and  parcel  of  themselves,  and  must  be 
secured,  rather  than  their  individual  gratification.  In  such 
connections,  the  maxim,  "  What  will  not  do  for  all  to  do,  will 
not  do  for  one,"  was  repeated  and  applied  ;  until,  if  a  scholar 
wished  to  ask  for  an  improper  indulgence,  the  motto  would 
be  brought  to  her  remembrance,  and  her  request  would  die 
in  the  asking.  The  leading  scholars  were  sure  to  be  on  the 
right  side,  and  to  strengthen  the  hands  and  comfort  the  hearts 
of  their  teachers.  The  only  way  in  which  the  teachers 
showed  partiality  was  by  employing  their  favorites  in  doing 
sundry  little  services  for  them,  or  for  the  school.  The  de- 
sire to  be  thus  selected  and  distinguished  was  sometimes 
almost  inordinate. 

The  government  was  maternal,  not  merely  in  name,  but 
in  truth.  The  teachers  manifesting  a  tender  regard  to  the 
natural  and  right  feelings  of  their  pupils,  a  jealousy  of  their 
reputations,  and  a  lively  interest  in  their  concerns,  many  of 
the  scholars  made  them  their  confidential  friends.  When  a 
scholar  was  seen  going  wrong,  she  was  not  arraigned  before 
the  "faculty,"  but  a  teacher,  taking  pains  to  meet  her  private- 
ly, without  mentioning  her  specific  fault,  would  ask  her  if 
she  was  doing  as  well  as  she  was  capable  in  that  particular 
13 


146  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

The  pupil  would  generally  answer  truthfully.  "  And  would 
you  like  to  Improve  on  this  point,"  uttered  in  a  tone  of  kind- 
ness, was  the  next  question.  The  next  time  the  same  two 
met  alone,  a  like  truthful  answer  would  generally  be  given 
to  the  inquiry,  "  How  did  you  succeed  on  the  point  of  which 
we  were  speaking  ?  "  None  but  the  untoward  pupils  them- 
selves know  how  this  motherly  way  of  proceeding  binds  the 
heart  in  love  to  a  kind  and  faithful  reprover.  It  is  seldom 
that,  in  a  school  so  governed,  the  amputating  knife  is  neces- 
sary, but  the  case  does  sometimes  happen ;  and  it  has  been 
said,  that  Miss  Lyon  would  expel  a  scholar  in  just  as  good 
humor  as  she  received  her.  "  I  am  sorry  for  you,"  she 
would  say,  "  but  the  good  of  the  institution  requires  it." 
Every  unnecessary  exposure  of  the  faults  and  weaknejsses 
of  scholars  was  avoided,  and  it  was  an  established  rule  with 
the  teachers  not  to  speak  of  such  defects  among  themselves, 
unless  the  good  of  the  school,  or  of  the  individual,  made  it 
necessary.  "  Speak  of  them,  as  if  they  were  your  younger 
sisters,"  was  the  direction  to  the  newly-initiated  teachers. 
In  a  teachers'  meeting,  if  any  one  spoke  jestingly  of  a  schol- 
ar's capacity.  Miss  Lyon  would  hush  the  speaker  immedi- 
ately, saying,  "  Yes,  I  know  she  has  a  small  mind,  but  we 
must  do  the  best  we  can  for  her." 

They  labored,  and  that  with  great  success,  to  start  their 
pupils  on  a  voluntary  course  of  self-denying  action.  Scarce 
a  term  passed  but  the  command,  "  Thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbor  as  thyself,"  was  held  up,  day  after  day,  in  new 
and  interesting  relations.  They  would  exhort  their  pupils  to 
forego  many  little  indulgences,  that  they  might  have  where- 
with to  meet  the  calls  of  charity,  and  then  would  be  sure  to 
see  that  the  call  was  forthcoming.  When  the  pupils,  under 
the  exhibition  of  the  truth,  were  led  to  feel  it  a  privilege  to 
deny  themselves  for  others'  good,  their  teachers  sought  to 
stereotype  the  benevolent  emotion  by  hallowed  benevolent 
action.     In  this,  they  had  their  eye  on  an  end  far  beyond  the 


THE    IPSWICH    SCHOOL.  147 

adding  of  a  few  dollars  to  the  resources  of  a  philanthropic 
society.     Looking  forward,  they  saw  that,   to  make   their 
scholars  open-handed  and  charitable  women  in  coming  years, 
they  must  see  that  they  made  a  liberal  use  of  small  means,  . 
while  under  their  eye  and  influence. 

The  teachers  always  set  a  good  example  to  their  pupils  in 
this  respect.  They  generally  headed  a  subscription  paper 
with  handsome  sums.  The  "  tithe  "  which  Miss  Lyon  con- 
tributed to  objects  of  benevolence  was  gradually  increased, 
till  it  became  nearer  one  half  than  one  tenth  of  her  income. 

The  study  of  the  Bible  held  a  very  prominent  place  in  the 
Ipswich  school,  as  a  means  of  intellectual  as  well  as  of  moral 
discipline.  It  has  already  been  seen,  that  when  Miss  Grant 
first  went  to  Derry,  she  gained  the  consent  of  her  employers 
to  occupy  one  seventh  of  the  pupils'  time  and  energy  in  the 
study  of  the  Scriptures.  Miss  Lyon  fully  concurred  in  an 
arrangement,  which  secured  the  Bible's  being  studied  more  in 
a  year  than  any  other  book.  The  Bible  lesson,  conducted 
much  as  in  a  well-ordered  Bible  class,  occupied  the  school 
an  hour  on  Monday  morning ;  and  every  pupil  was  expected 
to  spend  at  least  two  hours  in  preparation  for  this  exercise. 
Not  only  were  the  two  hours'  study  and  investigation  recom- 
mended, but  the  teachers  secured  its  being  given.  It  was 
very  well  understood  in  the  school,  that  the  more  improve- 
ment any  one  had,  the  longer  she  could  profitably  employ 
herself  on  a  given  passage.  In  the  social  exercise  of  Mon- 
day, while  much  attention  was  paid  to  the  biographical  and 
historical  incidents,  the  points  of  moral  interest  and  practical 
application  were  especially  presented,  and  the  discussion  of 
abstract  and  useless  questions  was  avoided.  This  lesson  was 
reviewed  on  some  other  day  of  the  week. 

Lessons  of  common  sense  and  propriety,  and  principles  of 
every-day  action,  were  enforced  by  words  of  holy  writ.  The 
writer  recollects  seeing  one  of  their  pupils,  a  woman  of  fine 
understanding,  refuse  to  draw  lots  for  a  berth  in  a  steamboat, 


148  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

saying  to  the  servant,  "  I  would  rather  not  draw.  If  any 
berth  is  left  after  the  other  passengers  are  provided  for,  I  will 
take  it ;  if  not,  very  well,"  She  had  been  impressed  with 
.  the  explanation  of  Prov.  xvi.  33.  Many  a  one  in  middle  life, 
when  she  hears  the  common  proverb,  "  Better  that  ten  guilty 
escape  than  one  innocent  suffer,"  is  reminded  of  Prov.  xvii. 
15,  which  her  teacher  had  placed  in  juxtaposition  with  the 
former.  Another  cannot  join  in  the  thoughtless  merriment 
occasioned  by  a  person's  assuming  the  garb  of  the  other  sex, 
because  she  remembers  Deut.  xxii.  5,  once  so  impressively 
pronounced  in  hei"  hearing.  Some  scholars,  who  gave  little 
heed  at  the  time  to  such  lessons,  may  have  forgotten  them  ; 
but  many  are  acting  upon  them  from  day  to  day,  and  trans- 
mitting them  from  generation  to  generation.  "  O,  Ipswich ! 
my  wife  is  always  quoting  Ipswich,"  said  a  husband,  who 
was  not  sorry  that  his  wife  could  never  forget  the  wisdom 
she  had  learned  there. 

At  Ipswich,  an  arrangement  was  made  to  give  each  young 
lady  half  an  hour  for  retirement.  This  greatly  promoted 
serious  reflection.  The  arrangement  was  a  matter  of  neces- 
sity. As  the  result  of  biblical  instruction,  an  extensive 
interest  in  personal  religion  would  be  awakened.  Many 
scholars  would  anxiously  ask  the  way  of  life.  Night  and 
morning,  one  and  another  of  the  pupils  would  be  found  in 
the  entries,  on  the  stairs,  or  in  a  family  room,  apparently  out 
of  their  proper  places.  To  the  question,  "  Why  are  you 
here  ?  "  they  would  reply,  "  My  room-mate  wished  to  be 
alone  a  little  while."  So  many  pupils  were  thus  thrown  out 
of  their  rooms,  as  to  give  an  air  of  disorder  to  the  house,  and 
occasion  some  waste  of  time.  To  meet  the  difficulty,  the 
teachers  made  an  arrangement  in  the  families,  that  for  one 
hour  in  the  morning,  and  one  in  the  evening,  the  scholars 
might  have  the  use  of  a  family  room,  half  of  them  being  in 
the  family  room,  and  half  alone  in  their  own  rooms,  at  the 
same  time,  thus  securing  to  each  the  privilege  of  a  season  of 


THE  IPSWICH  SCHOOL.  149 

retirement  twice  a  day.  The  command,  "  Enter  into  thy 
closet,  and  when  thou  hast  shut  thy  door,  pray  to  thy  Father 
which  is  in  secret,"  was  faithfully  applied  and  enforced. 
The  teachers  explained  to  the  school,  that,  standing  in  the 
place  of  parents,  they  had  provided  means  and  opportunity 
for  obeying  this  command.  The  scholars  were  informed, 
that  the  manner  of  spending  this  season  of  retirement  was 
left  to  their  own  choice ;  but  they  were  exhorted  to  spend  it 
in  the  manner  and  spirit  for  which  it  was  given,  and  care- 
fully instructed,  that  if  they  wasted  it,  on  their  own  souls 
rested  the  responsibility.  Their  attention  was  directed  to 
parts  of  the  Bible  most  helpful  to  devotion.  They  were 
advised  to  pray  in  a  whisper,  or  in  a  voice  which  should  not 
prevent  the  season  being  strictly  in  secret,  and  they  were 
instructed  how  to  spread  out  their  sins  and  recount  their 
mercies  before  God. 

This  plan,  like  the  system  of  accounts,  was  suited  only  to 
a  school  where  the  moral  sentiment  was  high.  It  was 
adapted  only  to  a  school  of  serious  and  reflecting  persons, 
who,  in  a  majority  of  cases,  would  make  good  use  of  their 
time.  On  such  scholars,  even  though  some  of  them  had 
lived  a  pjayerless  life,  it  often  made  an  abiding  impression 
for  good.  One  hour  a  day  alone,  an  hour  which  the  person 
may,  to  be  sure,  spend  as  she  pleases,  but  which  she  dis- 
tinctly understands  is  given  her  to  commune  with  her  own 
heart  and  with  God,  and  which  is  thus  improved  by  her  com- 
panions, is  not  only  an  opportunity,  but  a  strong  inducement, 
to  her  to  think  of  her  moral  relations,  to  open  and  study  her 
Bible,  and  to  bow  before  God.  Said  a  Hqlyoke  pupil,  "My 
conscience  would  not  let  me  study  any  thing  in  my  half  hour 
less  serious  than  Wayland  or  Butler." 

Much  effort  was  made  for  the  religious  improvement  of 

professing  Christians.     Miss  Grant  and  Miss  Lyon,  or  one 

of  them  at  least,  would  see  them  together  before  the  first 

Sabbath  of  a  term,  and,  in  a  fervent  and  effective  manner, 

13* 


150  THE    GREAT    STRtlGGLE. 

urge  them,  for  the  sake  of  their  own  growth  in  grace  and 
their  influence  on  their  impenitent  companions,  to  honor  that 
holy  day.  Instruction  particularly  adapted  to  their  case  was 
given  from  the  desk.  At  a  weekly  meeting,  in  which  they 
all  assembled,  practical  subjects  were  presented  with  ear- 
nestness and  close  application.  What  Christian  was  ever 
with  those  teachers  a  term  without  hearing  the  passage, 
"  Whether  ye  eat,  or  drink,  or  whatsoever  ye  do,  do  all  to  the 
glory  of  God,"  expounded  ?  and  who  did  not  carry  away 
with  her  a  livelier  sense  of  its  meaning  and  power  than  she 
had  carried  there  ?  Any  one  who  has  read  Miss  Lyon's 
work  on  missions,  must  have  seen  that  her  conceptions  of 
eternity,  of  an  eternity  of  sorrow,  spent  under  the  frown  of 
God,  were  awfully  distinct,  vivid,  and  controlling.  How  her 
hearers  would  almost  hold  their  breath,  as  she  dwelt  on  this 
subject !  "  Take,"  she  would  say,  "  any  slight  trouble,  or 
trivial  suffering,  bodily  or  mental,  a  throbbing  tooth,  a  tedious, 
complaining,  disagreeable  room-mate,  and  think, '  I  am  to  bear 
this  pain  a  year,  night  and  day  ; '  or, '  I  am  to  have  this  com- 
panion always  in  my  presence  for  twelve  months.'  That 
seems  long.  Yet  hope  lends  strength  to  bear  the  evil.  A 
year,  you  say,  and  it  will  be  gone.  When  one  day  is  past, 
you  subtract  it  from  three  hundred  and  sixty-five,  and  rejoice 
that  you  are  one  day  nearer  the  end  of  your  trial.  Let  the 
load  accumulate  to  the  utmost  that  can  be  endured  by  mortal 
framCj  or  conceived  by  mortal  mind  ;  let  the  year  before  you 
be  one  of  suffering,  of  anguish,  of  remorse,  of  grief  like  that 
which  separates  the  soul  from  the  body,  and  yet  you  cannot 
die.  You  are  doomed  to  a  living  death,  always  dying,  yet 
never  to  die  ;  for  this  is  the  import  of  those  solemn  words, 
the  second  death  ;  —  a  year  spent  in  such  agony,  how  long, 
how  slow  its  moments  roll !  Yet  hope  lends  her  pencil,  and 
the  happy  future  appears  beyond,  in  dim,  but  certain  light. 
Let  years  be  added  and  multiplied,  till  the  sum  reach  a  num- 
.  ber  equal  to  all  the  years  of  all  the  lives  of  all  the  sons  and 


THE    IPSWICH    SCHOOL.  151 

daughters  of  Adam,  and  let  the  soul  be  strung  to  endure 
Buffering  to  the  utmost  stretch  of  its  capacity  in  all  these 
years,  yet  in  the  infinite  ages  of  eternity,  there  would  come 
a  period  for  these  sufferings  to  cease.  Relief,  however  dis- 
tant, would  lighten  the  woe.  But  '  the  smoke  of  their  tor- 
ment ascendeth  up  forever  and  ever.''  It  is  an  everlasting 
punishment ;  the  worm  dieth  not,  the  fire  is  not  quenched. 
No  sun  shall  rise  on  that  darkness,  no  time  shall  measure  out 
those  groans.  It  will  be  one  blank  scene  of  woe,  with  nothing 
to  mark  its  duration ;  and  when  the  soul  shall  ask,  '  How  long  ?  ' 
nothing  but  that  awful  '  How  long''  shall  echo  from  its  prison 
walls.  O,  forever,  forever !  Think  of  this  word  and  its 
import.  Add  life  to  life,  and  age  to  age,  and  you  have  not 
approximated  it."  Many  a  pupil  could  say,  in  a  manner  rec- 
ognized at  once  by  her  companions  as  Miss  Lyon's,  "  You 
won't  do  so  again,  will  you,  dear ; "  but  no  one  could  ever 
imitate  her  manner  in  such  remarks  as  these.  They  were 
the  embodiment  of  her  own  experience.  "  Souls  bought  and 
redeemed  from  all  this  woe,"  she  would  say,  "  how  should 
they  show  forth  the  glory  of  God !  How  should  they  feel 
toward  the  multitudes  in  danger  of  perishing  for  lack  of  the 
bread  of  life  !  Who  that  has  been  redeemed,  and  permitted 
to  linger  on  the  shores  of  earth  a  while  to  represent  hei 
ascended  Savior,  would  not  wish  to  eat  and  'Irink  and  live  to 
the  glory  of  God?  Who  but  would  rejoice  to  give  all  her 
money,  her  time,  her  talents,  her  influence,  to  this  great 
cause,  the  salvation  of  the  perishing  ?  When  you  are  about 
spending  a  single  shilling,  remember,  that  shilling  might  carry 
leaves  of  healing  to  those  who  are  sick  unto  death,  unto  the 
second  death,  and  ask  whether  you  are  investing  it  to  God's 
-glory.  The  question  for  the  Christian  is  not,  '  Is  it  right  for 
me  to  buy  this  little  elegance  for  myself?'  but, '  Would  it  be 
wrong  for  me  to  do  without  it  ? '  You  waste  ninepence  worth 
of  paper.  That  single  ninepence  might  have  sent  the  bread 
of  life  to  the  famishing."     Her  sympathy  for  the  heathen 


152  THE   GREAT    STRTTGGLE. 

was  ever  alive  and  active,  and  she  communicated  her  own 
feelings  of  indebtedness  to  them  for  Christ's  sake  to  many 
of  her  pupils.  She  led  them  to  feel  that  all  they  were,  and 
all  they  had,  were  indeed  the  Lord's,  to  be  actively  and  con- 
stantly employed  in  his  service. 

Professors  of  religion  met  weekly  in  circles  of  ten  or 
twelve,  for  conversation  and  prayer.  One  person  was  cho- 
sen to  act  as  a  leader,  and  each  gave  in  turn  a  report  as  to 
her  fidelity  and  enjoyment  in  closet  duties,  her  trials,  her 
conflicts,  and  her  labors  with  the  impenitent.  The  members 
of  the  same  circle  became  intimate  as  Christians  and  attached 
as  friends,  and  went  forth  from  school  sympathizing  fel- 
low-laborers in  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  The  professors  of 
religion,  residing  in  the  same  family,  met  for  prayer  in  one 
of  their  rooms  on  the  Sabbath.  The  tone  of  piety  among 
the  professors  of  religion  had  a  very  important  agency  in 
making  religion  honorable  and  desirable  in  the  eyes  of  the 
impenitent.  A  good  Christian  character  was  felt  to  be  the 
most  valuable  of  possessions. 

To  the  teachers,  the  Bible  was  the  source  of  light  divine,  and 
they  sought  to  cast  its  radiance  on  every  mind.  They  felt  under 
no  obligation  to  be  instructed  in  this  particular,  and  asked  no 
parent's  creed.  They  never  spoke  of  sects,  but  industrious- 
ly inculcated  the  doctrines  of  the  Bible,  as  they  understood 
them,  asking  leave  only  of  God  and  their  consciences.  They 
looked  on  secular  studies  as  the  scaffolding  by  which  they 
might  reach  their  main  object,  to  make  known  the  will  of 
God.  Miss  Lyon  used  to  say  of  teaching  such  studies,  that 
it  was  but  "  hewing  the  wood,  and  drawing  the  water," 
humbly  and  patiently  to  be  done,  indeed,  in  the  hope  that  it 
would  lead  to  an  opportunity  to  do  something  infinitely  higher 
and  better. 

Two  or  three  mornings  in  a  week,  the  Principal  occupied 
from  fifteen  to  thirty  minutes  at  the  hour  of  nine,  A.  M., 
when  the  newly-waked  spirit  was  all  unworn,  in  illustrating 


THE    IPSWICH    SCHOOL.  153 

and  enforcing  some  particular  scriptural  truth.  The  Ten 
Commandments,  for  example,  the  Sermon  on  the  Mpunt,  the 
first  chapter  of  1  Peter,  and  many  other  parts  of  the  Bible, 
were  presented  in  a  practical  manner,  text  by  text,  and 
clause  by  clause,  to  attentive  listeners.  Miss  Lyon  always 
took  her  full  share  of  the  biblical  instruction,  but  it  was  not 
till  the  morning  lectures  devolved  upon  her  in  consequence 
of  the  absence  of  Miss  Grant,  that  she  developed  her  full 
power  of  interesting  scholars  in  the  discussion  of  religious 
truth.  At  Derry,  and  for  the  first  two  or  three  years  at 
Ipswich,  she  seemed  to  study  and  teach  the  Bible  much  as 
she  would  any  thing  else.  Her  intellect,  rather  than  her 
heart,  was  interested.  She  admired  it,  examined  it  closely, 
sought  out  its  application  with  care,  and  awakened  in  her 
scholars  the  same  intellectual  interest  in  its  contents.  This 
careful  study,  no  doubt,  contributed  to  the  power  with  which, 
in  after  years,  she  came  before  the  school.  For  years  before 
sh^  left  Ipswich,  it  was  a  rich  entertainment  to  hear  her  un- 
fold the  hidden  wealth  of  some  apparently  obvious  text.  She 
came  to  her  hearers  in  the  fulness  of  the  gospel  of  Christ. 
Unseen  things,  in  her  mind,  were  living  realities,  and  seemed 
to  become  such  to  those  to  whom  she  described  them.  Her 
faith  was  substance  ;  and  her  imagination,  fertile  and  sacred 
as  the  garden  of  the  Lord,  was  put  under  its  tuition.  She 
had  a  great  deal  of  moral  intuition,  and  she  never  exhausted 
that  fund  of  great  first  truths  to  which  the  human  heart 
echoes  a  response,  and  which  find  their  way  directly,  when 
properly  presented,  to  the  consciences  of  intelligent  moral 
beings.  Her  manner  was  simple.  There  was  not  the 
slightest  appearance  of  speaking  for  effect,  or  trying  to 
speak  eloquently.  The  speaker  was  in  the  shade,  where  she 
evidently  wished  to  be,  completely  hidden  by  the  truth  she 
was  holding  forth.  She  did  not  crowd  ideas  before  the  mind, 
but  would  dwell  on  one  important  thought,  present  it  in  dif- 
ferent lights,  illustrate  it  in  several  ways,  and  detain  her 


154  THE    GREAT    STRTTGGLE. 

hearers  on  it  till  they  were  as  fully  possessed  with  it  as  sh« 
was.  How  many  have  heard  her  thus  dwell  on  the  passage 
*'  Whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also  reap,"  unti 
their  minds  were  all  pervaded  with  the  great  truth,  that  the} 
were  to  meet  the  deeds  of  every  day  hereafter !  A  part  ot 
her  power  lay  in  securing  continued  attention  to  one  single, 
but  great  and  solemn  conception.  Active  as  was  her  own 
mind,  and  easy  as  it  was  for  her  to  grasp  large  ideas,  and  to 
survt)'  many  almost  in  a  single  breath,  she  could  parcel  out 
truth  in  those  small  proportions  in  which  common  minds  are 
obliged  to  receive  it.  The  superior  scholars,  who  loved  to 
give  themselves  up  to  a  kind  of  moral  exhilaration,  and  those 
of  spiritual  discernment,  who  watched  the  effect  of  truth  on 
other  minds,  were  never  weary  of  her  religious  instruction. 
Those  who  were  worldly  in  their  views,  who  delighted  most 
in  the  pleasures  of  sense,  or  in  mere  intellectual  acquisitions, 
sometimes  complained  of  the  length  of  her  lectures  ;  but  such 
complaints  were  not  often  heard. 

The  vividness  with  which  she  evidently  saw  and  felt  the 
very  truth  she  was  uttering,  was  one  secret  of  her  power. 
If  she  had  ever  a  flitting  doubt  of  the  certainty  of  future 
retributions,  that  doubt  was  never  known  or  suspected  by  her 
most  intimate  friends.  The  foundations  of  her  faith  never 
wavered.  It  seemed  as  though  the  principles  of  our  holy 
religion  were  interwoven  with  the  fibres  of  her  soul.  The 
world  to  come  was  as  present  to  her  thoughts  as  this  world 
to  her  eyes.  Her  confidence  in  God  was  as  simple  and  true 
as  a  child's  in  its  mother.  She  felt  the  Savior  to  be  present 
with  her,  her  friend,  her  counsellor,  her  adviser,  sustaining 
and  directing  her  as  really  as  though  she  had  seen  him  at 
her  side,  had  leaned  bodily  on  his  arm,  had  heard  his  lips 
respond  to  her  petitions,  and  seen  his  wounded,  but  almighty 
hands  reach  down  deliverance. 

The  commands  of  God  were  as  practical  to  her  as  the 
commands  of  a  father  to  the  docile  child  at  his  knee.     She 


•.<fe 


THE    IPSWICH    SCHOOL.  155 

ran  the  way  of  his  commandments.  They  were  welcome 
to  her  soul.  It  was  hardly  a  self-denial  to  her  to  keep  them. 
It  was  to  her  a  delightful  fact,  that  the  eye  of  God  never 
wandered  from  her,  and  one  of  which  she  seemed  ever  joy- 
fully conscious  ;  somewhat  as  we  are  conscious  of  light  and 
the  presence  of  "the  sun,  even  though  our  minds  are  intensely 
occupied  with  a  different  class  of  subjects.  She  delighted  to 
discover  the  great  principles  of  God's  government  in  his 
word  and  works,  in  providence  and  grace.  In  this  science 
she  was  an  apt  scholar,  ever  learning  and  overcoming  nearer 
those  great  and  magnificent  truths,  which  doubtless  she  still 
studies  and  comprehends  more  fully  than  when  she  taber- 
nacled in  clay,  and  yet  still  sees  a  boundless  ocean  beyond. 
When  she  undertook  to  bring  these  truths  before  the 
minds  of  her  pupils,  the  effort  conduced  to  make  them 
clearer  to  her  own  spirit's  eye.  While  feasting  others,  she 
was  herself  feasted.  It  was  because  God  was  so  glorious 
to  her,  that  she  made  him  glorious  to  her  pupils.  What  she 
spoke  of  was  reality  to  her,  and  hence  her  words  had  an 
indescribable  power.  Her  energetic  way  of  saying  the  most 
common  thing  absolutely  constrained  you  to  attend  ;  but 
there  was  something  more  than  that  in  the  calm,  subdued, 
unearthly  tone  in  which  she  dealt  out  heavenly  wisdom. 
When  she  opened  the  terrors  of  the  law  before  her  hearers, 
it  was  a  dying  sinner  spreading  the  most  awful  truth  before 
dying  sinners.  It  was  the  warning  voice  of  one  who  saw  the 
yawning  gulf.  She  would  point  to  the  dark,  shelving,  fatal 
precipice  without  a  gesture,  without  a  motion,  save  of  her 
moving  lips,  her  hand  laid  devoutly  on  that  well-worn  octavo 
Bible.  She  would  uncover  the  fiery  billows  rolling  below,  in 
the  natural,  but  low,  deep  tones  with  which  men  talk  of  their 
wills,  their  coffins,  and  their  graves.  If  she  had  been  to 
Westminster  Abbey,  and  had  been  describing  its  treasured 
monuments,  she  would  have  awakened  no  more  sense  of 
reality.     This  faith  was  the  mainspring  of  her  power.     She 


156  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

said  little  by  way  of  entreaty.  She  never  begged  and  be- 
sought  her  pupils  to  serve  God,  as  though  the  Infinite  could 
not  do  without  them.  Religion  was  not  degraded  by  repre- 
senting it  as  begging  for  votaries.  Sometimes  she  would  lift 
the  curtain,  and  give  her  auditors  a  glance  into  the  holy  of 
holies.  When  the  soul  was  ravished  with  glories  that  no 
tongue  can  fully  describe,  she  would  turn,  and  say  so  effec- 
tively, "  But  there  will  be  no  vacant  seat  there.  If  any  one 
chooses  to  break  away  from  the  vows  her  parents  have  taken 
for  her,  if  she  chooses  to  separate  from  her  Christian  friends, 
her  absence  will  not  be  felt  in  that  happy  throng.  Heaven 
will  be  full  without  Aer."  She  set  life  and  death  before  her 
pupils.  In  the  name  of  her  Savior,  she  offered  them  salva- 
tion. She  held  forth  the  hope  that  they  might  find,  if  they 
sought.  She  offered  pearls  only  to  the  discerning.  That 
waiting  soul,  how  she  would  describe  its  capabilities,  its  ever- 
growing susceptibility  to  joy  or  woe,  its  continued  existence, 
its  identity  through  all  this  infinity  of  experience,  as  if  she 
had  herself  been  through  it  all.  It  was  not  the  words,  nor 
the  manner,  nor  the  thoughts,  but  it  was  the  whole  effect, 
which  was  wonderful.  It  was  the  conception  her  hearers 
formed  of  the  truth  she  exhibited.  With  what  a  sense  of 
present  reality  would  they  feel,  that  a  thousand  years  hence 
they  would  remember  as  though  it  were  but  yesterday,  sit- 
ting on  those  seats,  accepting  or  refusing  offers  of  mercy. 
She  would  carry  the  soul  forward  into  the  midst  of  the 
glowing  realities  of  eternity.  Such  conceptions  will  outlive 
death  and  the  grave.  They  are  still  the  aliment  of  the  souls 
that  then  began  to  feed  on  them.  They  fill  the  mind  in  its 
most  solemn  moments,  but  they  cannot  be  described.  Like 
the  things  shown  to  Paul,  they  are  unutterable.  They  were 
none  the  less  impressive  because  they  cannot  be  detailed. 
Miss  Lyon  worked  her  way  down  to  the  depths  of  the  soul, 
and  planted  seeds  there  to  germinate,  and  grow,  and  yield 
fruit  in   the  after  life.     It  is  no  proof  that  bread  has  not 


THE    IPSWICH    SCHOOL.  157 

been  eaten,   that   the  substance    of   it   can    no    longer   be 
discerned. 

The  truth  seldom  failed  to  produce  its  legitimate  fruits. 
It  was  almost  sure  to  lodge  in  some  minds.  In  the  course 
of  a  few  weeks,  the  solemn  look,  the  suppressed  sigh,  and 
absorbed  attention,  would  be  manifest  to  the  observing  teach- 
er. The  school  would  be  more  and  more  serious.  It  would 
be  increasingly  evident  that  great  thoughts  were  occupying 
their  attention,  but  the  pupils  themselves  would  not  be  aware 
of  any  general  change.  Often,  when  a  meeting  for  conver- 
sation was  appointed  for  such  as  desired  more  particular  and 
individual  instruction  as  to  the  way  of  life,  every  one  who 
went  to  the  appointed  room  would  expect  to  find  herself 
nearly  or  quite  alone,  but  to  her  surprise  would  see  her  most 
intimate  friends  among  the  inquirers.  The  teachers  never 
appointed  such  a  meeting,  until  they  were  certain  of  a  good 
attendance.  If  they  knew  x)f  only  two  or  three  who  desired 
such  instruction,  they  met  them  informally,  or  by  a  private 
appointment.  These  meetings  for  special  religious  instruc- 
tion and  conversation  were,  however,  attended  frequently  by 
a  large  part  of  the  pupils  who  were  not  professors  of  re- 
ligion. For  several  years  in  succession,  more  than  half  of 
those  who  eatered  the  school  impenitent,  and  remained  for 
any  length  of  time,  went  away  with  a  warm  and  permanent 
interest  in  the  Redeemer's  kingdom. 


SECTION    III. 

Unsuccessful  Attempt  to  endow  the  Ipswich  School. 

When  the  trustees  of  the  Adams  Female  Academy  invited 
Miss  Grant  to  take   charge  of  it,  they  stated  to  her  their 
design  of  making  it  a   permanent  school  of  a  high  order. 
14 


158  THE    GHEAT    STRUGGLE. 

Entering  into  this  design,  and  forwarding  it  all  in  her  power, 
she  had  become,  when  she  left  Londonderry,  exceedingly  in. 
terested  in  the  idea  of  a  seminary  which  should  be  to  young 
women  what  the  college  is  to  young  men,  and  was  full  of 
the  earnest  purpose  of  doing  what  in  her  lay  for  embodying 
this  conception. 

For  some  time  after  her  removal  to  Ipswich,  Miss  Grant 
was  so  entirely  occupied  in  instructing  and  providing  for  her 
increasing  school,  and  in  exercising  a  mother's  oversight  of 
more  than  a  hundred  pupils,  scattered  in  companies  of  two, 
four,  six,  and  eight,  all  over  the  village,  that  she  had  but  little 
time  or  strength  left  to  labor  for  the  object  of  her  thoughts 
and  hopes. 

Miss  Grant  naturally  conversed  much  with  Miss  Lyon 
on  the  subject  of  the  establishing  of  a  seminar^',  with  build- 
ings, library,  and  apparatus,  owned  as  colleges  are,  where 
successive  generations  of  young  ladies  might  be  trained  for 
respectability  and  usefulness  ;  but  Miss  Lyon  entered  into  the 
project  very  slowly.  "  Never  mind,"  she  many  a  time  said, 
between  1824  and  1829,  —  "  never  mind  the  brick  and  mor- 
tar ;  only  let  us  have  living  minds  to  work  upon."  How  differ- 
ent were  her  feelings  in  1836,  when,  on  the  occasion  of  laying 
the  corner-stone  at  South  Hadley,  she  writes,  "  The  stones, 
and  brick,  and  mortar  speak  a  language  which  vibrates 
through  my  very  soul." 

Not  far  from  1830,  Miss  Lyon  became  convinced  of  the 
utility  of  such  a  seminary,  and  entered  into  the  project,  not 
merely,  as  before,  from  sympathy  with  Miss  Grant,  but  also 
from  her  own  firm  and  deep  conviction  that  the  thing  was 
both  desirable  and  necessary. 

The  following  extracts  from  a  joint  letter  of  Misses  Grant 
and  Lyon  give  an  outline  of  what  they  considered  necessa- 
ry for  establishing  the  school  at  Ipswich  on  a  permanent 
basis  :  — 


ATTEMPT   TO   ENDOW   THE   IPSWICH    SCHOOL.  159 

TO    THE    TRtrSTEES    OF    IPSWICH    FEMALE    ACADEMY. 

"Ipswich,  February  17,  1831. 
"  Gentlemen  : 

"  You  doubtless  recollect. that,  in  September,  1829,  a  com- 
mittee from  your  board  was  appointed  to  inquire  what  was  ne- 
cessary to  secure  the  continuance  of  our  school  in  this  place. 
Since  that  time,  it  has  been  repeatedly  asked,  by  persons  in 
different  and  distant  towns,  what  would  be  an  inducement 
to  the  present  teachers  to  remove  from  Ipswich,  and  locate 
themselves  in  a  situation  favorable  to  the  prosecution  of  their 
object.  Before  giving  such  encouragement  to  the  friends 
of  science,  literature,  and  religion  abroad,  as  shall  seem  at 
all  like  a  pledge  for  our  removal,  we  deem  it  proper,  and 
it  is  in  accordance  with  our  feelings,  to  state  to  you  what  pro- 
vision we  consider  essential  for  establishing  a  female  sem- 
inary on  a  good  foundation,  with  the  prospect  of  making  it 
permanent. 

"  The  first  requisite  is  a  seminary  building,  free  of  rent, 
containing  a  hall  of  sufficient  size  to  accommodate  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five  scholars,  several  recitation- rooms,  a 
laboratory,  a  room  for  a  library,  and  a  reading-room.  Some 
way  should  be  devised  to  have  this  building  furnished  with 
books  of  reference,  and  the  apparatus  necessary  for  illustrat- 
ing the  several  branches  taught. 

"  The  second  requisite  is  a  boarding-house,  ■^^ompletely 
furnished  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  boarders,  to  be  situated 
contiguous  to  the  seminary  building,  and  surrounded  by  a 
few  acres  of  play-ground.  The  rooms  in  the  boarding-house 
should  be  pleasant  and  airy,  so  finished  and  furnished  as 
to  give  ladies  as  favorable  a  situation,  while  pursuing  their 
studies,  as  is  afforded  to  young  men  at  our  colleges,  or  other 
seminaries.  The  care  of  the  conduct  of  the  scholars,  and 
"he  general  internal  arrangements  of  the  house,  must  de- 
volve on  the  teachers. 

"  It  would  be  necessary  that  the  pecuniary  affairs  of  the 


160 


THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 


establishment  should  be  committed  to  an  agent  appointed  by 
the  trustees,  to  whom  he  should  be  responsible. 

"Yours,  very  respectfully, 

"  Z.  P.  Grant, 
"  Mary  Lyon." 

As  the  result  of  this  movement,  prospective  trustees  were 
appointed,  and  a  pamphlet  of  eight  pages,  entitled  "  Propo- 
sals and  Conditions,"  was  printed  and  circulated.  The 
pamphlet  contained  the  substance  of  the  preceding  letter,  a 
statement  of  the  difficulties  arising  from  the  teachers  and 
pupils  being  so  separated  and  scattered,  and  various  specifica- 
tions as  to  the  contemplated  buildings  and  conditions  of  sub- 
scription. 

The  prospective  trustees  of  the  proposed  school  held  sev- 
eral meetings,  passed  sundry  resolutions,  and  made  many  in- 
quiries ;  but  finding  the  public  unprepared  for  the  project,  the 
zeal  of  several  of  them  entirely  failed.  The  apathy  every 
where  met  with  may  have  been  occasioned  by  Miss  Grant's 
absence  from  Ipswich,  and  her  personal  inability  for  active 
service  in  teaching. 

In  a  letter  of  Miss  Lyon's  to  Miss  Grant,  in  February,  1832, 
she  says,  "  Things  are  preparing  for  the  next  meeting  of 
trustees.  I  did  think  of  advising  to  have  it  delayed  till  your 
return  ;  but  on  the  whole,  I  consider  it  best  to  adhere  to  my 
uniform  j  rinciple,  to  retard  nothing,  but  rather  forward  every 
step  as  much  as  possible,  and  trust  Providence  for  the  result." 

The  following  letter  of  Miss  Lyon  to  Professor  Hitchcock, 
dated  at  Ipswich,  February  4,  1832,  will  show  her  feelings 
at  that  time  on  the  subject  of  the  proposed  school ;  — 

"  Rev.  and  dear  Sir  : 

"  Knowing  that  you  are  interested  to  learn  any  thing 
about  the  proposed  plan  for  a  permanent  female  seminary, 
which  has  been  agitated  by  some  of  its  friends  for  more  than 
a  year,  I  make  no  apology  for  this  communication.  The 
friends  of  this  object,  I  think,  are  beginning  to  look  upon  it 


ATTEMPT   TO   ENDOW    THE    IPSWICH    SCnOOL.  161 

in  a  more  extended  view,  and  are  beginning  to  consider  it 
an  important  object,  as  connected  with  the  prosperity  and 
advancement  of  female  education  in  general,  and  not  simply 
as  a  very  good  thing  to  promote  Miss  Grant's  and  Miss  Lyon's 
school,  and  facilitate  their  usefulness.  These  local,  private, 
and  personal  views,  I  think,  should  be  far  removed  from  this 
object.  Could  I  but  be  permitted  to  labor  in  the  portico,  and 
spend  my  days  in  clearing  the  ground  for  that  which  is  des- 
tined to  continue,  and  to  exert  an  extensive  and  salutary  influ- 
ence on  female  education,  and  on  religion,  from  generation 
to  generation,  it  would  be  the  height  of  my  ambition.  What 
permanent  female  seminaries  are  now  in  existence  ?  What 
one  in  New  England,  of  a  high  character,  is  necessarily, 
from  its  plan,  destined  to  outlive  its  present  teachers } 
Ought  this  so  to  be  .''  Are  not  a  few  permanent  female  sem- 
inaries needed  ?  —  say  one  or  two  in  a  state  .-'  Could  there 
be  a  few  of  this  character,  designed  exclusively  for  older 
young  ladies  preparing  to  teach,  and  soon  to  go  forth  and 
exert  an  influence  in  a  variety  of  ways  on  the  cause  of  edu- 
cation and  religion,  —  a  place  of  resort,  where  those  from 
different  parts  of  the  country,  designing  to  spend  their  lives 
in  doing  good,  might  come  together,  together  receive  instruc- 
tion, form  and  mature  their  plans,  and  exert  over  each  other's 
views  and  feelings  an  extensive  and  powerful  influence, — 
would  not  great  good  result .?  Might  not  such  seminaries  have 
an  extensive  influence  in  removing  that  false  mantle  of  charity, 
which  has  been  thrown  over  a  great  many  little  schools,  and 
great  ones,  too,  which  have,  to  a  great  extent,  had  the  mould- 
ing of  the  female  character,  but  which  have  not  been  what 
they  should  be  .-* 

"  The  prospect  now  is,  that  this  subject  will  be  presented 
to  the  public  in  some  form  or  other.  The  attempt  may  be 
fruitless.  The  institution  is  to  be  entirely  new,  not  having 
any  connection  with  that  which  is  the  present  field  of  our 
labors.  To  give  the  public  confidence,  it  has  been  consid- 
11* 


162  THE    GREAT    STEUQGLE. 

ered  very  important  to  obtain  an  able  board  of  trustees. 
This  business  has  been  on  hand  several  months.  It  is  now 
settled.  Seven  have  been  appointed  as  trustees  elect,  and 
have  accepted,  and,  if  the  plan  should  go  forward,  will  ob- 
tain an  act  of  incorporation,  and  will  become  the  trustees. 
They  are  the  following :  Hon.  William  Reed,  Marblehead ; 
Rev.  Dr.  Fay,  Charlestown  ;  Professor  Emerson,  Andover ; 
Hon.  Rufus  Choate,  Salem ;  George  W.  Heard,  Esq.,  and 
William  Heard,  of  this  town.  They  have  had  one  meeting, 
and  have  appointed  a  committee  of  inquiry. 

"  It  is  generally  understood  that  the  location  should  be  in 
Ipswich,  but  it  is  not  absolutely  necessary.  Some  of  the 
trustees,  I  believe,  consider  it  somewhat  doubtful  whether 
this  is  the  best  location,  and,  if  it  is  not,  will  be  disposed  to 
make  inquiry  about  other  places.  Not  much  has  been  said 
about  it,  however.  Feeling  that  a  genial  soil  would  be  of 
vast  importance  in  this  first  attempt,  I  have  been  exceedingly 
desirous  that  the  locations  on  Connecticut  River  should  re- 
ceive at  least  a  little  attention,  before  it  is  finally  settled  in 
Essex  county.  It  is  not  best  that  I  should  say  much  about 
it ;  but  these  trustees  are  capable  of  looking  at  facts  as  they 
are,  if  their  attention  should  be  directed  to  the  subject.  The 
location  is  to  be  decided  before  the  object  is  presented  to  the 
public,  probably  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  trustees.  My 
only  desire  is,  that  the  state  of  feeling  in  your  vicinity 
should  be  tested,  and  the  facts  laid  before  the  trustees.  I  do 
not  know  that  there  is  any  way  by  which  it  could  be  done, 
but  I  thought  it  barely  possible  that  some  benevolent  individ- 
uals might  devise  some  plan.  I  write  these  things  to  you 
merely  because  I  can  do  nothing  more  than  to  mention  it  to 
some  of  my  friends  in  that  vicinity.  It  would  not  be  well 
that  the  subject  of  this  communication  should  be  known  gen- 
erally. There  is  no  objection  to  your  mentioning  it  to  indi- 
viduals, if  you  should  think  it  desirable.  One  reason  why  I 
feel    desirous   that  your    part   of   the    state   should  be  the 


OTHER   LOCATIONS   SUGGESTED.  163 

proposed  location  is,  that  I  think  it  might  affect  the  public  in 
general  more  favorably,  and  there  would  be  a  greater  pros- 
pect of  success.  If  you  think  it  a  vain  thought,  a  foolish 
and  impracticable  scheme,  my  only  request  is,  that  you 
would  commit  this  sheet  to  the  flames,  and  bury  the  whole 
in  oblivion. 

"  It  is  true  that  this  plan  was  started  in  view  of  Ipswich, 
and,  of  course,  the  trustees  were  chosen  from  this  vicinity,  and 
there  is  no  hope  that  it  could  be  transferred,  unless  it  should  be 
obvious  that  it  will  meet  with  more  success  and  more  encour- 
agement from  the  public  by  being  located  in  that  part  of  the 
state.  It  is  rather  probable  that  an  attempt  will  be  made  in 
Ipswich,  and  perhaps  in  the  vicinity,  to  ascertain  what 
amount  can  be  raised  for  the  object.  If  an  attempt  could  be 
made  at  the  same  time  in  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut, 
the  object  being  fully  understood,  it  seems  to  me  somewhat 
probable  that  the  west  would  so  far  exceed  the  east,  that  it 
would  be  very  manifest  that  that  was  the  most  suitable  loca- 
tion. In  such  a  case,  it  would  be  very  important  that  a  part 
of  the  trustees  should  be  from  that  vicinity.  This  board  can 
make  changes  in  their  own  body,  such  as  they  shall  deem 
expedient ;  and  if  they  shall  decide  that  the  public  will  not 
accept  of  Essex  county  as  a  location,  such  a  course  will 
probably  be  taken.  Besides,  twenty-five  gentlemen,  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  New  England,  are  appointed  as  a  board  of 
visitors,  if  the  plan  should  go  into  operation. 

"  If  any  thing  should  be  attempted  on  this  subject  in  your 
part  of  the  state,  would  it  not  be  inexpedient  to  name  any 
definite  location,  nearer  than  to  say,  a  location  in  Massachu- 
setts, on  or  near  the  Connecticut  River  ?  Doubtless  Amherst 
or  Northampton  would  be  the  place.  Each  would  have  its 
peculiar  advantages,  and  I  am  by  no  means  sure  which 
would  be  the  most  favorable. 

"  Nothing  can  be  done  on  a  subject  like  this,  without  the 
attention  of  a  few  benevolent  individuals,  whose  time  and 


164  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

talents  are  exceedingly  precious,  and  whose  hands  are  al- 
ready full  of  other  great  and  important  concerns.  None  but 
such  men  could  do  the  work.  None  but  such  could  excite 
an  interest  on  this  hitherto  neglected  subject.  None  but  such 
could  carry  it  forward.  None  but  such  could  give  any  hope 
of  success. 

"  If  any  thing  should  hereafter  be  done  on  this  subject, 
would  it  not  be  well  that  the  leading  friends  should  not  all 
be  from  Amherst  or  Northampton  ?  If  it  should  be  thought 
best  to  make  any  inquiries  on  the  subject,  perhaps  you  would 
think  it  well  that  some  benevolent  gentleman,  yourself  or 
some  other  one,  should  correspond  with  some  gentleman  of 
this  board.  Some  members  have  devoted  considerable  atten- 
tion to  the  subject,  others  have  but  just  glanced  at  it  yet.  I 
could  mention  with  what  individuals  it  would  be  most  fiavor- 
able  to  correspond. 

."  I  must  now,  my  dear  sir,  beg  that  you  will  not  look  on 
this  subject  in  the  view  of  personal  friendship,  and  feel 
under  a  kind  of  obligation  to  treat  it  with  some  little  respect. 
Unless  it  commends  itself  to  your  judgment  as  one  which 
has  a  high  claim  on  our  benevolence,  I  could  not  ask  you  to 
devote  to  it  a  single  moment  of  your  very  precious  time.  But 
if  it  has  such  claims,  I  would  most  gladly  raise  my  feeble 
voice,  entreating  all  who  would  befriend  such  an  object  to 
lend  a  helping  hand." 

In  the  summer  of  1832,  at  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  George 
W.  Heard,  one  of  the  proposed  trustees,  Miss  Lyon  prepared 
the  following  sheet,  which  was  printed,  and,  under  the  sanc- 
tion of  the  prospective  board,  was  sent  to  many  of  the 
friends  of  the  Ipswich  school :  — 

NEW    ENGLAND    FEMALE    SEMINARY    FOR    TEACHERS. 

Several  friends  of  education  and  of  evangelical  religion  are  con- 
sidering the  expediency  of  attempting  to  raise  funds  to  found  a  per  • 
manent  female  seminary  in  New  England. 


PLAN    OF   THE    SEMINARY.  165 

General  Object. 
The  main  object  of  the  proposed  institution  will  be  to  prepare 
young  ladies  of  mature  minds  for  active  usefulness,  especially  to  be- 
come teachers. 

Character. 

1.  Its  religious  character  is  to  be  strictly  evangelical. 

2.  Its  literary  character  is  to  be  of  a  high  order. 

Location. 
This  has  not  yet  been  selected.    An  attempt  vdll  be  made  to  em- 
brace as  many  of  the  following  requisites  as  possible  in  the  location  : 

1.  That  it  be  central  for  New  England. 

2.  That  it  be  surrounded  by  a  community  marked  for  intelligence 
and  public  spirit. 

3.  That  a  liberal  proportion  of  the  funds  be  raised  by  the  town 
and  its  immediate  vicinity. 

4.  That  the  particular  spot  be  healthy  and  pleasant,  a  little  re- 
moved from  public  business,  and  so  situated  as  to  be  free  from  all 
other  encumbrances. 

Funds. 

The  amount  of  funds  should  be  sufficient  to  famish  the  following 
accommodations  :  — 

1.  Several  acres  of  land. 

2.  Buildings  sufficiently  capacious  to  furnish  from  one  hundred  to 
two  hundred  pupils  with  accommodations  for  school  and  boarding. 

3.  Furniture. 

4.  An  ample  library  and  apparatus. 

Domestic  Arrangements. 
It  is  proposed  that  the  domestic  department  should  be  under 
the  direct  superintendence  of  such  persons  as  are  qualified  for  the 
trust.  In  order  to  give  as  much  independence  and  facility  to  the 
trustees  as  possible,  in  organizing  the  establishment,  and  in  order  to 
avoid  difficulties  in  filling  offices  from  time  to  time,  it  is  proposed 
that  all  the  furniture  should  be  owned  by  the  corporation. 

Boarding-  House . 
The  plan  which  has  been  proposed  for  the  buildings  is  suited, 
1.  To  give  to  the  young  ladies  superior  privileges,  both  for  retire- 
ment and  for  social  intercourse,  and  in  an  eminent  degree  to  promote 
health,  comfort,  and  domestic  happiness,  and  intellectual,  moral,  and 
religious  improvement. 


166  THE   GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

2.  To  furnish  each  member  -with  a  small  chamber,  exclusively  hei 
own.*  The  great  advantages  of  such  a  privilege  can  scarcely  be  re- 
alized, except  by  those  who  have  often  felt  that  they  would  give  up 
almost  any  of  their  common  comforts,  for  the  sake  of  such  retire- 
ment as  can  be  enjoyed  only  in  a  separate  apartment.  To  persons 
of  reflection,  the  advantages  will  doubtless  appear  much  greater  than 
the  extra  expense,  especially  when  it  is  considered  that  this  institu- 
tion is  not  designed  for  younger  misses,  but  especially  for  the  benefit 
of  ladies  of  maturer  age. 

Family  Discipli7ie. 

The  family  discipline  is  to  be  entirely  distinct  from  the  domestic 
concerns.  This,  together  with  the  general  improvement  of  the 
pupils  out  of  school,  is  to  be  committed  directly  to  the  teachers. 
The  family  discipline  should  be  very  systematic,  but  of  a  kind 
adapted  to  the  age  of  its  members.  The  whole  should  resemble  a 
well-regulated  voluntary  association,  where  the  officers  and  members 
are  all  faithful  to  their  trust. 

The  plan  which  has  been  proposed  for  buildings  is  particularly 
suited  to  promote  family  discipline,  and  to  render  it  at  once  easy, 
systematic,  and'pleasant  to  all. 

1.  It  is  such  that  the  whole  family  will  naturally  and  necessarily 
be  arranged  in  a  convenient  number  of  sections,  each  of  which  can 
be  easily  directed  by  an  appropriate  head. 

2.  It  is  such  as  to  bring  all  the  young  ladies  under  a  direct  and 
natural  supervision.  This  will  tend  at  once  to  secure  order  and  pro- 
priety, and  at  the  same  time  to  exclude  all  necessity  of  any  thing 
like  apparent  watchfulness  or  nice  inspection,  even  if  the  age  and 
character  of  the  members  of  the  institution  should  not  render  everv 
thing  of  the  kind  needless. 

Specific  Objects  to  be  accomplished. 

1.  To  increase  the  number  of  weU-quahfied  female  teachers.  The 
present  want  of  such  teachers  is  well  known  to  all  particularly  en- 
gaged in  the  cause  of  education.  This  deficiency  is  the  occasion  of 
placing  many  of  our  schools  under  the  care  of  those  who  are  not 
competent  to  the  undertaking. 

2.  To  induce  many  who  have  already  become  teachers,  to  make 
further  improvement  in  their  education.  This  institution  will  fur- 
nish such  ladies  with  a  full  course  of  instruction,  and  with  society 

*  This  feature  of  the  plan  was  not  Miss  Grant's,  and  Miss  Lyon  afterwards 
gave  it  up. 


LOCAXION    AT   AMHERST    PROPOSED.  167 

adapted  to  their  age  and  character,  and  will  give  them  a  more  suit- 
able and  pleasant  home  than  can  now  be  found  connected  with  any 
of  our  female  seminaries. 

3.  To  exert  an  influence  in  bringing  as  much  of  the  labor  of  in- 
struction into  the  hands  of  ladies  as  propriety  will  admit.  This 
seems  important,  on  account  of  the  many  public  demands  on  the 
time  of  benevolent,  educated  gentlemen,  and  the  comparatively  few 
demands  on  the  time  of  benevolent,  educated  ladies. 

4.  To  lead  the  way  toward  the  establishment  of  permanent  fe- 
male seminaries  in  our  land.  That  there  are  no  female  seminaries 
of  this  character  is,  we  believe,  a  fact.  Those  wliich  appear  to  have 
the  strongest  claim  to  such  a  standing  are  so  dependent  on  their 
present  teachers,  and  their  funds  and  accommodations  are  to  such 
an  extent  the  property  of  private  individuals,  that  it  would  not  be 
safe  to  predict  even  their  existence  the  next  century. 

This  circular  bears  strongly  the  impress  of  Miss  Lyon's 
mind  and  hand. 

In  November  of  this  year,  the  attention  of  Miss  Lyon 
was  turned  to  Amherst  as  a  location  for  the  school.  Dr. 
Humphrey,  President  of  Amherst  College,  wrote  to  Miss 
Lyon,  saying,  "  Mount  Pleasant  school  is  at  an  end.  The 
teachers  and  pupils  are  dispersed,  and  the  buildings  are 
soon  to  be  closed.  Providence  has,  so  to  speak,  thrown 
Mount  Pleasant  into  the  market,  and  we  should  be  glad  to 
see  such  a  seminary  as  yours  there,  if  it  should  be  thought 
an  advantageous  location." 

"  The  situation  of  Mount  Pleasant,"  writes  Miss  Lyon, 
"  is  delightful.  There  are  about  fifteen  acres  of  land  con- 
nected with  it."  The  owner  was  willing  to  sell  it  at  its 
market  value,  or  rent  it  at  six  hundred  dollars  per  annum. 
There  was  no  hope  of  raising  a  sum  sufficient  for  the  pur- 
chase. The  utmost  that  could  be  hoped  was,  that  the  rent 
might  be  met  for  three  or  five  years  by  the  friends  of  female 
education.  It  would  accommodate  only  about  half  the  num- 
ber of  boarders  that  were  at  Ipswich.  Objections  were  made 
by  some  to  locating  a  female  seminary  by  the  side  of  an 


168  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

institution  for  young  men ;  but  Miss  Lyon  thought  that  the 
advantage  to  the  pupils  of  attending  college  lectures  might, 
in  a  good  degree,  counterbalance  that  disadvantage.  She 
was  very  desirous  at  first  that  the  school  should  be  removed 
to  Amherst.  November  29,  1832,  she  wrote  to  Miss  Grant : 
"  I  am  in  favor  of  endeavoring  to  secure  Mount  Pleasant, 
because  I  have  next  to  no  faith  that  the  public  are  now  pre- 
pared to  raise  a  sum  sufficient  to  meet  the  necessities  of  the 
institution,  unless  it  is  done  by  stepping  stones,  and  those 
must  be  laid  by  the  actual  progress  of  the  institution.  You 
know  this  is  the  way  every  thing  is  done  in  New  England. 
Amherst  College,  and  all  the  other  institutions  of  the  kind, 
have  been  founded  by  commencing  operations,  by  forming  a 
nucleus,  and  then  calling  for  assistance. 

"  Might  it  not  be  a  good  plan,  rather  than  to  do  worse,  to 
make  an  attempt  at  Amherst,  but  not  with  the  certain  expec- 
tation of  permanence  ?  Would  not  the  fact  that  the  school 
was  in  operation  there,  be  of  assistance  in  obtaining  the 
funds  ?  and  might  not  the  accommodations  there  be  a  step- 
ping stone  towards  better  ?  " 

Miss  Lyon's  interest  in  the  removal  of  the  school  to  Am- 
herst was  such,  at  this  time,  that  she  even  advocated  Miss 
Grant's  removal,  on  her  own  personal  responsibility,  in  case 
the  trustees,  above  mentioned,  did  not  see  sufficient  encour- 
agement to  warrant  them  in  hiring  the  place  for  a  course  of 
years.  She  even  offered,  in  Miss  Grant's  absence,  to  go 
forward  herself  in  the  removal.  But  she  afterwards  became 
convinced  that  such  a  removal  was  inexpedient. 

As  Miss  Lyon  saw  more  and  more  plainly  that  the  at- 
tempt to  endow  the  Ipswich  school  was  likely  to  fail,  she 
began  to  revolve  the  idea  of  engaging  in  teaching  in  a  dis- 
tinct field  from  Miss  Grant.  A  letter  to  Miss  G.,  of  Decem- 
ber 9,  1832,  contains  the  first  mention  of  this  subject.  It 
follows,  nearly  entire  :  — 

"  I  take  my  pen  to  introduce  a  subject,  which  has  agitated 


sj:paration  from  miss  grant  proposed.         169 

my  mind  for  several  months.  Is  it  not  your  solemn  duty 
and  mine  to  review  the  question,  whether  my  services  are 
needed  as  much  in  our  beloved  seminary  as  in  some  other 
portion  of  the  Lord's  vineyard  ?  This  is  a  question  of  deep 
solicitude  with  me.  For  a  long  time,  previous  to  the'  pres- 
ent year,  I  felt  that  the  question  was  settled.  I  had  made  a 
kind  of  decision,  that  I  should  not  mention  the  subject  to  you 
again.  For  some  time  after  the  above  query  arose  in  my 
mind,  the  trial  of  mentioning  it  to  you  seemed  greater  than 
I  could  bear.  Often,  when  alone,  I  have  found  relief  in 
tears.  The  burden  of  my  prayer  has  been,  that  if  it  were 
most  for  the  glory  of  God  that  I  should  continue  to  labor 
with  you,  the  path  of  duty  might  be  made  plain,  and  if  it 
were  his  will  that  I  should  labor  elsewhere,  the  way  might 
be  laid  open,  that  you  might  see  it,  and  both  of  us  be  pre- 
pared for  the  separation. 

"  In  taking  the  superintendence  the  past  year,  I  have  seen 
that  very  many  of  the  things  which  you  and  I  do,  when  we 
are  together,  can  be  as  well  done  by  our  experienced  teach- 
ers. In  the  present  improved  state  of  the  institution,  there 
is  really  no  more  business  that  would  come  under  the  head 
of  superintending  than  can  be  done  by  one  of  us.  Of  the 
labor  which  needs  our  experience,  and  even  mind,  some 
could  be  done  nearly  as  well  by  one  as  by  two ;  some  just 
as  well,  and  some  could  be  done  better.  I  have  been  led  to 
make  a  little  calculation  how  much  might  be  done  by  the 
assistant  teachers,  and  what  is  the  least  amount  of  labor 
which  it  is  indispensable  that  the  principal  should  accom- 
plish, in  order  that  the  institution  may  flourish.  A''ter  a 
while,  the  query  involuntarily  arose  in  my  mind,  whether 
my  services  were  really  needed  here,  whether  the  experi- 
ence I  had  gained  was  not  more  needed  somewhere  else,  in 
this  needy,  impoverished  state  of  the  world.  I  did  not  in- 
tend to  mention  the  subject  till  you  returned  ;  and  in  the  event 
15 


170  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

of  my  leaving,  I  supposed  it  would  probably  be  best  for  U3 
to  take  a  year  to  plan  for  it. 

"  But  since  your  proposal  that  I  should  journey  next  som- 
mer,  a  new  query  has  arisen,  whether  my  leaving  then,  and 
not  returning,  might  not  be  a  less  injury  to  the  school  than 
my  leaving  at  any  more  distant  period  ;  whether  it  might 
not  cause  less  excitement,  and  be  less  the  means  of  increas- 
ing your  labor.  I  should  very  much  need  more  time  to  col- 
lect and  arrange  the  fragments  of  improvement  which  we 
have  been  enabled  to  make,  which  are  now  more  in  my  pos- 
session than  in  yours,  in  order  that  I  might  transmit  them  to 
you  in  the  best  order.  But  it  would  undoubtedly  be  my  duty 
to  take  some  time  to  become  refreshed,  and  during  that  time 
T  could  collect  these  items  from  memory,  notes,  &;c.,  and 
arrange  them  for  your  use  about  as  well  as  if  I  were  on  the 
spot.  I  could  have  no  object  so  important,  and  surely  I 
could  have  none  so  very  dear  to  my  heart,  as  that  of  leaving 
this  dearly  beloved  seminary,  this  darling  of  my  heart,  under 
the  most  favorable  circumstances.  Now,  my  dearest  sister, 
the  subject  is  before  you.  Will  you  commend  it  to  our 
heavenly  Father  every  morning  with  me.''  My  faltering  pen 
has  obeyed  my  will ;  I  have  succeeded  in  telling  what  I 
would.  And  now  I  beg,  that  while  this  question  is  under 
consideration,  you  will  never  allude  to  personal  considera- 
tions on  either  side,  for  they  are  not  the  data  by  which  this 
interesting  question  must  be  decided.  It  would  be  to  us  both 
a  needless  trial  of  our  feelings.  You  will  ask  about  our 
great  plan.  I  do  not  think  there  is  one  chance  in  twenty 
for  it  tr  succeed.  If  it  should,  a  different  course  might  be 
taken." 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"Jannary  10,  1833. 
"  When  I  consider  the  apparent  expectations  of  those  who 
are  ready  to  say,  '  It  is  a  good  plan,'  it  does  not  appear  to 


"  FAINT,    YET    PURSUING."  171 

me  probable  that  you  or  I  shall  live  to  see  a  female  semi- 
nary in  New  England,  such  as  we  desire,  so  endowed  as  to 
become  permanent.  Yet  I  do  hope,  that  the  interest  excited 
and  the  information  communicated  by  this  attempt  will  ter- 
minate in  more  favorable  accommodations  for  this  school. 
If  even  this  could  be  effected,  I  should  consider  myself  am- 
ply repaid  for  all  my  exertions." 

Alluding  to  difficulties  which  had  arisen  about  Amherst, 
she  says,  "  It  seems  rather  discouraging,  when  I  look  over 
the  last  two  years.  How  much  time  and  strength  I  have 
spent  in  thinking,  feeling,  conversing,  and  planning  on  this 
subject,  and  to  how  little  purpose !  How  many  plans  I  have 
drawn  and  altered,  and  how  many  sheets  written  and  burnt! 
I  am  not,  however,  disheartened,  I  am  ready  to  attempt 
any  thing  which  seems  pointed  out  by  Providence,  even  with- 
out any  surety  of  success." 

Two  days  after  she  writes,  "  I  have  never  known  such  an 
overwhelming  interest  in  the  great  plan  as  I  have  for  a  few 
weeks  past.  It  does  appear  to  me  that  it  is  a  good  plan,  and 
one  which  God  in  his  own  time  will  own  and  bless.  I  know  of 
nothing  which  I  should  not  be  ready  to  do,  nor  any  sacrifice 
which  I  should  not  be  ready  to  make,  to  promote  the  object." 

Again,  in  the  same  lettei",  "  Every  thing  connected  with 
the  great  plan,  in  which  we  have  been  interested,  takes  hold 
of  my  inmost  soul,  and  at  once  seems  to  prostrate  all  my 
powers." 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"Boston,  Febniary  4,  1833. 
"  I  have  seen  Rev.  Daniel  Crosby,  of  Conway,  this  fore- 
noon. He  is  an  energetic  man,  and  his  talents  are  much 
respected  abroad.  He  is  a  young  inan,  and  not  worn  out. 
Perhaps  Providence  will  make  use  of  him  to  accomplish  this 
object.  He  says,  it  needs  to  be  taken  hold  of  by  those  who 
have  not  every  thing  else  in  their  hands,  and  by  those  who 


172  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

will  not  be  crushed  by  difficulties.  He  seems  to  grasp  the 
whole  subject  at  once,  and  to  see  its  importance.  He  says, 
'  If  all  the  attempts  shall  fail  now,  the  effort  will  prepare  the 
way  to  raise  the  forty  or  fifty  thousand  dollars  some  twenty 
years  hence.' 

"  I  feel  more  and  more  that  the  whole  business  must,  in 
name,  devolve  on  benevolent  gentlemen,  and  not  on  your- 
self or  on  myself.  I  do  not  feel  so  much  afraid  as  I  did  that 
they  will  not  take  the  right  steps,  but  I  feel  much  more  afraid 
that  they  will  not  act  at  all.  If  the  institution  is  ever  founded, 
it  will  be  safe  only  in  the  hands  of  God,  and  under  God,  in 
the  arms  of  the  whole  benevolent  community,  including  not 
only  the  rich,  but  the  poor.  If  any  thing  at  all  should  be 
done,  the  less  you  and  I  have  to  do  with  the  business  part 
of  the  affair  the  better.  Fewer  needless,  unkind  remarks 
will  be  thrown  out,  less  jealousy  will  be  excited,  and  our 
private  influence  will  be  more  extensive  and  useful  in  direct- 
ing matters  for  the  good  of  the  institution.  It  is  desirable 
that  the  plans  relating  to  the  subject  should  not  seem  to 
originate  with  us,  but  with  benevolent  gentlemen.  If  the 
object  should  excite  attention,  there  is  danger  that  many 
good  men  will  fear  the  effect  on  society  of  so  much  female 
influence,  and  what  they  will  call  female  greatness.  They 
will  think  and  say,  '  Miss  Grant  and  Miss  Lyon  want  to 
do  some  great  thing,  to  have  a  large  sum  of  money  raised, 
and  a  great  institution  established,  and  to  see  themselves  at  the 
head  of  the  whole,  and  then  they  will  be  satisfied.'  I  imagine 
I  have  seen  a  little  of  this  already,  and  if  more  interest  were 
to  be  felt  in  the  cause,  more  jealousy  might  be  excited." 

to'  miss  grant. 

'Tebruary  13,  1833. 
"  I  have  written  to  you  about  Amherst,  and  the  views  of 

Mr. and  his  friends.     Their  plan,  at  best,  would  make 

the  institution  all  a  personal  affair.     I  thought  it  best,  on  my 


MOVEMENT    OF    THE    FRANKLIN    ASSOCIATION.  173 

own  private  responsibility,  to  pull  down  some  of  their  castles, 
if  possible.  Their  zeal  did  not  seem  to  be  very  great,  when 
they  had  learned  that  the  plan  "was  one  which  would  allow 
little  or  no  prospect  of  income  to  the  steward,  to  merchants, 
and  to  others  engaged  in  the  concern." 

On  the  20th  of  February,  1833,  Rev.  Mr,  Crosby  wrote 
to  Miss  Lyon,  communicating  the  following  preamble  and 
resolution  of  the  Franklin  Association  :  — 

"  Inasmuch  as  this  association  has  heretofore  taken  some 
measures  in  regard  to  a  female  seminary,  founded  upon  the 
principles  of  the  seminary  at  Ipswich,  and  inasmuch  as  the 
subject  is  again,  in  the  providence  of  God,  open  to  investi- 
gation, therefore, — 

"  Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  two  be  appointed  from 
this  body  to  meet  individual  friends  of  the  Ipswich  Seminary 
for  the  purpose  of  inquiry  and  consultation  ;  and  that  this 
committee  be  requested  to  call  upon  other  gentlemen  for 
advice  and  counsel,  as  they  may  see  fit." 

To  Mr.  Crosby's  letter,  containing  the  above  resolve.  Miss 
Lyon  replied  :  — 

"  I  received  yours  of  yesterday.  I  have  most  ardently 
desired  that  this  meeting  might  take  place,  hoping  that  it 
might  be  the  first  link  in  a  chain  of  means  to  draw  the  in- 
terest of  the  Christian  community  to  this  object.  If  such  an 
interest  can  be  secured,  the  time  will  ere  long  come,  when 
friends  will  be  raised  up  to  sustain  the  labor,  and  even  bear 
the  reproach  of  being  chimerical,  if  need  be,  as  all  who  lead 
in  any  great  and  good  cause  must  expect  to  be  called. 

"  The  gentlemen  of  this  region,  that  I  think  it  most  im- 
portant should  go  to  Amherst,  are,  Mr.  G.  W.  Heard  and  Rev. 
Mr.  Felt.  I  expect  to  be  there  as  you  suggest.  The  most 
important  thing  now  is,  to  lay  the  subject  before  those  who 
are  capable  of  becoming  enlisted  in  its  favor.  He  that  can 
15* 


174  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

now  awaken  an  interest,  will  do  more  than  he,  who,  at 
some  future  time,  shall  be  willing  to  bestow  largely  of  his 
abundance. 

"  I  hope,  dear  sir,  that  all  who  are  ready  to  devote  some 
of  their  precious  time  to  looking  at  this  cause,  in  its  feeble 
and  forlorn  state,  and  to  inviting  their  brethren  in  the  Lord 
to  look  at  it,  will  hereafter  receive  an  abundant  reward. 

"  If  the  proposed  institution  should  ever  be  founded,  I 
hope  and  pray,  that  from  generation  to  generation  it  may 
assist  the  church  in  fulfilling  her  covenant  obligations  to  her 
own  children,  and  in  grafting  many  a  wild  olive  branch  upon 
the  true  vine.  Unless  the  building  can  be  the  Lord's,  let  it 
never  be  built ;  unless  the  Lord  go  with  us,  let  us  not  go  up." 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"  Ipswich,  Tebruary  24,  1833. 
"  I  begin  to  doubt  whether  you  will  consider  it  expedient 
to  go  to  Amherst  on  the  best  terms  on  which  there  is  any 
hope  that  we  can  go.  The  highest  of  my  hopes  is  only  that 
by  some  means,  the  rent  can  be  collected  by  dollars  and 
cents  from  the  farmers  and  mechanics  all  over  Franklin  and 
Hampshire  counties,  in  order  to  make  an  experiment  of  three 
years.  The  greater  prospect  is,  that,  at  the  close  of  that 
period,  the  school  will  be  thrown  on  the  public  without  a 
home.  But  I  am  inclined  to  hazard,  for  nothing  will  ever  be 
done  without  it  on  this  subject.  I  cannot  see  one  important 
step  toward  the  '  New  England  Female  Seminary,'  which 
can  safely  be  taken  at  present,  and  perhaps  not  for  many 
years  to  come,  unless  this  experiment  at  Amherst  can  be 
tried.  If  an  agent  for  raising  funds  should  now  be  sent  out, 
in  towns  where  he  would  need  to  raise  one  or  two  thousand 
dollars,  he  might  not  raise  more  than  twenty  or  fifty.  As 
the  subject  has  gone  forward  for  three  years  past,  *he  public 
will  not  be  prepared  to  be  called  en  hr  »r  orwv  for  twenty 
years  to  come. 


LETTER   TO    MISS    GRANT.  175 

"  The  plan  of  finding  a  location  where  they  will  do  some- 
thing handsome  seems  equally  fruitless.  It  is  known  at 
Northampton  how  the  matter  stands  ;  but  the  people  there 
manifest  no  wish  to  do  any  thing  about  it.  At  Worcester, 
nothing  can  be  done.  There  is  no  inducement  to  go  to 
Brookfield.  If  Mr.  Felt  were  now  to  visit  every  town  suita- 
ble for  a  location  in  the  state,  to  ascertain  what  amount  could 
be  pledged,  if  the  school  should  go  there,  I  believe  that 
Ipswich  would  bear  the  palm. 

"  Interest  and  zeal,  I  think,  are  what  we  now  need.  This 
is  not  the  time  to  inquire  how  the  money  can  be  raised  ;  but  it 
is  needful  now  to  put  forth  every  nerve  and  sinew  to  awaken 
an  interest  among  ministers  and  other  good  men,  till  they 
shall  feel  that  the  object  is  good,  and  that  it  is  feasible.  But 
this  interest  cannot  be  awakened  so  much  by  writing,  preach- 
ing, and  the  like,  as  by  putting  certain  secret  springs  into 
action.  Now,  if  any  thing  is  done  at  Amherst,  I  think  it 
should  aim  only  at  an  experiment  for  three  years,  with  the 
express  design  of  preparing  the  way  for  a  permanent  sem- 
inary. If  this  experiment  can  be  made,  borne  on  the  broad 
shoulders  of  an  associate  body  of  gentlemen  from  different 
parts  of  the  state,  as  their  plan,  I  have  a  hope  that  these  gen- 
tlemen would  so  bring  the  subject  before  the  public,  that  it 
would  be  safe,  before  the  close  of  the  three  years,  to  solicit 
of  the  community  the  sum  of  forty  thousand  dollars." 

In  the  conclusion  of  this  letter,  which  follows,  we  have 
the  first  distinct  hints  of  those  modifications  of  her  plans 
which  enabled  Miss  Lyon  to  triumph  over  all  difficulties. 

"  One  point  more.  The  funds  for  Amherst  College  have 
been  collected,  not  from  the  rich,  but  from  liberal  Christians 
in  common  life.  At  the  commencement  of  that  enterprise, 
the  prospect  was  held  out  that  it  would  be  a  college  of  high 
standing,  where  the  expenses  would  be  low,  and  that  it  would 
be  accessible  to  all.     This  was  like  a  mainspring,  without 


176  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

which  it  is  doubtful  whether  it  would  have  been  possible  to 
raise  the  funds.  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  something  of 
this  kind  may  be  indispensable  to  our  success.  The  great 
and  honorable  among  the  good  will  not  listen  to  our  cause  ; 
but  perhaps  the  more  humble  in  life,  led  forward  by  their 
own  ministers,  may  befriend  this  important  but  forsaken 
object.  If  so,  if  there  is  any  class  of  Christians  that  we 
should  seek  to  gratify,  it  must  surely  be  .the  benefactors, 
whether  high  or  low.  If  the  same  class  of  Christians  who 
support  our  missionaries  should  contribute  principally  to  the 
raising  of  the  funds,  is  it  not  important  that  the  style  of  the 
whole  establishment  should  professedly  be  plain,  though 
very  neat  ?  If  it  were  really  plain,  would  it  not  be  more 
respectable  to  have  it  professedly  so  ?  " 

The  following  interesting  letter  alludes  again  to  the  matter 
of  a  separation  :  — 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"Ipswich,  March  1,  1833. 

"  Yesterday  was  my  birthday.  Thirty-six  years  of  my 
life  are  gone,  and  now  I  am  one  year  more  than  middle 
aged.  To  look  back  step  by  step,  it  seems  a  long  life,  and 
the  remaining  years  in  prospect  seem  few  and  short.  But 
my  life  anc^  strength  may  be  prolonged  for  many  years  to 
come.  I  would  that  it  might  be  so,  if  it  is  the  will  of  the 
Lord.  But  in  one  thing  I  can  rejoice,  —  that,  as  long  as  the 
Lord  of  the  vineyard  hath  any  need  of  my  feeble  service,  he 
will  allow  me  the  unspeakable  privilege  of  living  and  labor- 
ing ;  and  when  he  sees  it  to  be  best  that  I  should  labor  no 
longer  in  this  dark,  wicked  world,  which  has  been  promised 
to  the  Savior  as  his  inheritance,  then  may  I  be  prepared  to 
lay  down  this  tabernacle  with  joy  and  rejoicing,  and  go  to 
dwell  with  Christ,  which  is  far  better.  Daily,  my  dear  sis- 
ter, do  I  endeavor  to  ask  for  you  the  same  blessings  which  I 


LETTER    TO    MISS    GBANT.  177 

ask  for  myself.  O,  this  vast  field,  which  is  white  already  to 
the  harvest !  May  laborers  be  raised  up  in  great  numbers, 
to  gather  in  the  harvest,  which  is  continually  wasting  away. 
May  those  who  are  in  the  field  labor  while  the  day  lasts. 
May  you  and  I  be  so  directed,  that  we  shall  spend  the  re- 
mainder of  our  days  in  that  manner  which  shall  be  the  means 
of  the  greatest  possible  results. 

"  One  thing  I  have,  for  several  weeks,  wanted  to  propose 
to  you.  It  is  this  :  If  Providence  should  ever  make  it  plainly 
our  duty  to  occupy  different  fields  of  labor,  and  to  dissolve 
our  legal  connection,  I  should  deem  it  one  of  the  greatest 
earthly  blessings  which  I  could  possibly  enjoy,  to  keep  as 
many  of  the  cords  which  now  bind  us  together  unbroken 
as  could  be  done  under  existing  circumstances ;  that  we 
should  assist  each  other  in  forming  plans ;  that  we  should 
visit  each  other  often,  write  to  each  other  often  ;  that  we 
should  each  feel  tliat,  next  to  our  own  field  of  labor,  that  of 
the  other  is  the  most  endearing  —  the  field  to  which  we  have 
pledged  our  services,  our  influence,  our  hearts.  A  union 
somewhat  like  this  would  be  to  me  an  unspeakable  satisfac- 
tion ;  it  would  seem  lo  save  my  bleeding  heart  from  sinking 
under  the  stroke  of  a  separation  ;  and  my  judgment  says, 
that  such  a  union  would  be  suited  to  advance  the  great  cause 
to  which  we  have  consecrated  our  lives. 

"  Two  days  ago,  I  received  yours,  written  January  10,  re- 
plying to  mine  of  December  10.  After  sending  mine,  I  felt 
that  1  could  leave  it  all  with  God.  After  that,  however,  there 
was  a  solemn  weight  resting  on  my  soul ;  a  feeling  that  one 
step  had  been  taken  toward  accomplishing  the  greatest 
change  that  has  ever  taken  place  in  my  situation  and  labors, 
and  probably  the  greatest  that  ever  will  take  place  in  my 
life.  But  after  receiving  a  few  lines  in  Miss  C.'s,  acknowl- 
edging the  receipt  of  mine  of  December  10, 1  felt  that  all,  for 
the  present,  was  done,  —  that  God,  in  his  own  time  and  man- 
ner, would  by  his  providence  point  out  the  path  of  duty,  and 


178  THE    GREAT    STETTGGLE. 

I  could  most  cheerfully  and  quietly  wait.  The  peace  and 
freedom  from  solicitude  which  I  have  been  permitted  to 
enjoy,  with  regard  to  the  final  issue,  have  been  uncommon. 
When  I  have  opened  your  letters,  I  have  had  no  painful  so- 
licitude to  find  a  line  indicating  your  opinion  on  the  question. 
But  since  the  reception  of  yours  two  days  ago,  ray  mind  has 
been  most  intensely  occupied,  and  I  can  now  give  you  only 
a  few  of  my  general,  scattered  thoughts. 

*' A  few  words  about  my  feelings.  If  it  should  be  plain, 
or  equally  probable,  that  you  and  I  could  both  of  us  accom- 
plish as  great  an  amount  of  good  to  spend  our  remaining 
days  together  as  we  could  to  occupy  different  fields,  it  would 
be  a  blessing  which  would  be  most  grateful  to  my  heart ;  or, 
if  it  should  be  equally  probable  that  we  could  accomplish  as 
much  good  during  our  lives,  to  continue  together  three  years 
more,  and  then  separate,  I  should  be  grateful  for  the 
privilege  of  being  with  you  so  much  longer. 

"  Now  I  will  endeavor  to  write  according  to  my  judgment, 
though  my  opinion  is  not  made  up  on  any  point.  The  rea- 
sons why  it  seemed  to  me,  that  were  we  ever  to  occupy 
different  fields  of  labor  it  might  be  better  that  we  should 
commence  soon,  were  two,  —  one  relating  to  my  own  use- 
fulness, the  other  to  yours. 

"  If  I  should  separate  from  you,  I  have  no  definite  plan. 
But  my  thoughts,  feelings,  and  judgment  are  turned  toward 
the  middle  classes  of  society.  For  this  class  I  want  to  labor, 
and  for  this  class  I  consider  myself  rather  peculiarly  fitted  to 
labor.  To  this  class  in  society  would  I  devote,  directly,  all 
the  remainder  of  my  strength,  (God  permitting,)  —  not  to  the 
higher  classes,  not  to  the  poorer  classes.  This  middle  class 
contains  the  main  springs,  and  main  wheels,  which  are  to 
move  the  world.  Whatever  field  I  may  occupy,  it  must  be 
an  humble,  laborious  work.  How  I  can  get  a  footing  suffi- 
ciently firm  for  my  feet  to  rest  upon  for  the  remainder  of  my 
days,  and  where  my  hands  can  work,  I  know  not.    But  by 


LETTER   TO    MISS    GRANT.  179 

wandering  around,  and  by  resting  from  my  labors  a  year 
or  two,  perhaps  Providence  might  open  the  door.  I  should 
seek  for  nothing  permanent,  to  continue  after  my  death,  as 
to  the  location  of  my  labors  ;  but  I  should  consider  it  very 
desirable  that  I  should  occupy  but  one  more  field,  that  I  should 
make  but  one  more  remove,  till  I  remove  into  my  grave.  I 
shall  soon  be  literally  forty  years  old  ;  and  if  I  am  ever  to 
leave  my  present  field  of  labor,  and  begin  entirely  anew,  it 
seems  desirable,  for  my  future  usefulness,  that  I  should 
begin  soon,  before  many  more  of  my  remaining  days  are 
gone,  or  much  more  of  my  remaining  strength  exhausted. 

"  If  I  should  journey  next  summer,  it  might  be  better,  for 
you  and  for  the  school,  that  I  should  not  return  at  all,  than 
that  I  should  return  to  spend  merely  a  year  or  two.  It  might 
be  less  hazardous  to  your  strength  to  go  right  forward  alone, 
than  to  have  these  changes.  You  want  I  should  write  how 
I  judge,  and  feel  inclined  to  decide.  I  wish  I  could  tell  you 
more  definitely  than  I  can  now.  My  mind  seems  exceed- 
ingly reluctant  even  to  incline  to  one  side  or  the  other.  One 
thing,  however,  is  clear.  Considering  your  views  and  feel- 
ings, I  do  not  think  it  best  that  we  should  separate  so  soon  as 
this  spring,  at  any  rate.  How  long  it  is  best  that  we  should 
continue  together,  I  do  not  know.  As  your  letter  has  been 
so  long  delayed,  perhaps  it  will  not  be  best  to  attempt  to 
settle  these  questions  till  we  meet  face  to  face. 

"  Your  arguments  against  a  separation  now  are  weighty. 
I  have  considered  most  of  them  in  some  form,  though,  per- 
haps, not  with  the  distinctness  with  which  you  have  expressed 
them.  My  query  of  December  10  I  designed  not  specifical- 
ly to  be,  whether  we  ought  to  separate  this  spring,  or  in  one, 
two,  or  three  years  from  this  time  ;  but  generally,  whether 
it  was  best  that  we  should  continue  together  permanently,  oi 
that  we  should  separate  as  soon  as  it  could  be  effected  to 
good  advantage ;  say,  at  the  most  suitable  time  in  the 
course  of  two  or  three  years.     I  do  not  think  I  expressed 


180  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

this  clearly.  Looking  at  tlie  subject  in  the  form  of  this  last 
query,  I  will  dwell  a  moment  on  the  main  arguments. 
1.  The  hope  of  founding  a  permanent  seminary.  This  is 
so  great  an  object,  that  it  would  be  right  to  sacrifice  con- 
siderable good  for  the  sake  of  a  small  probability  of  suc- 
cess. But  we  must  guide  our  steps  by  probabilities.  My 
feelings  are  most  deeply  interested  in  this  cause,  and  so 
strong  is  my  belief  in  its  utility,  that  I  do  believe  that  such  a 
work  will  be  effected  at  some  future  day,  perhaps  some 
twenty  or  fifty  years  from  this  time.  But  if  it  must  be  de- 
layed entirely  for  several  years,  I  have  thought  that  there 
was  nothing  that  we  could  do  together  which  we  could  not 
do  separately.  And  as  the  probability  in  my  own  mind, 
founded,  1  think,  on  evidence,  was  altogether  on  this  side,  it 
seemed  my  duty  to  decide  according  to  this  probability, 
knowing,  that  if  any  indication  of  Providence  should  appear 
in  favor  of  the  great  object,  either  before  it  should  be  time 
to  act,  or  before  I  should  take  fast  hold  of  any  other,  (which 
time  must  be  considerable,)  we  could  again  unite  our  labors 
as  before.  My-candid  judgment  has  been,  that  the  prob- 
ability that  such  a  seminary  would  be  founded  during  our 
day  has  been  constantly  diminishing ;  but  I  have  felt  it  my 
duty  not  to  say  much  about  it,  but  to  put  forth  every  possible 
effort,  till  we  should  professedly  give  up  the  subject  for  the 
present.  If,  in  my  own  mind,  the  chance  two  years  ago  was 
equal  to  one  in  five,  it  is  now  reduced  to  not  more  than  one 
in  fifty  ;  I  would  say  to  one  in  one  hundred,  or  five  hundred, 
if  we  except  the  ray  of  hope  which  beams  from  the  possi- 
bility that  an  experiment  may  be  made  at  Amherst,  and  the 
possibility  that  something  favorable  may  grow  out  of  such  an 
experiment,  if  it  should  be  made.  My  belief  has  been,  that 
unless  something  unexpected  should  be  brought  forward  by 
the  wheels  of  Providence,  the  time  has  nearly  come,  when 
t  will  be  your  duty  and  mine  professedly  to  relinquish  the 
object,  —  not  our  interest  in  the  plan,  but  our  attempts  for  its 


LETTER    TO    MISS    GRANT.  181 

execution.  This  I  have  not  expressed  before,  and  now  it 
pains  me  to  acknowledge  my  conviction.  My  conviction 
arose  from  the  manner  in  which  the  scheme  is  regarded  by 
various  individuals,  who,  I  think,  are  a  fair  index  of  the  pub- 
lic. The  public,  as  such,  know  nothing  of  any  consequence 
about  the  object,  and  care  less  than  they  know.  The  public, 
as  such,  know  not,  and  care  not,  how  Miss  Grant  and  Miss 
Lyon  are  united,  or  when  they  separate,  or  how,  if  the  school 
at  Ipswich  can  go  on  well. 

"  A  few  words  about  the  importance  of  the  prosperity  of 
Miss-  Grant's  school.  I  consider  it  more  important  that  it 
should  continue  to  flourish  during  her  life,  or  during  her 
ability  to  labor,  than  any  other  school  in  the  land,  which  is 
the  property  of  a  private  individual.  But,  after  all,  it  is 
short-lived.  I  view  it  as  just  like  Mr.  Emerson's  school. 
It  was  very  important  that  Mr.  Emerson  should  prosper  dur- 
ing his  days  of  labor,  and  that  he  should  have  a  place  where 
he  might  put  forth  his  strength  to  peculiar  advantage.  But 
where  is  his  school  now  .''  If  we  ask,  '  Where  are  his  labors  ?  ' 
I  would  say, '  All  over  the  earth,  and  their  record  is  on  high.' 

"  If  the  plan  for  the  permanent  seminary  does  not  succeed, 
I  have  long  felt  that  you  and  I  must  continue  to  labor,  and 
make  no  more  attempts  for  any  thing  permanent  to  result, 
except  what  is  planted  permanently  in  the  hearts  and  in  the 
lives  of  those  over  whom  God  may  give  us  a  direct  or  in- 
direct influence.  I  consider  it  so  important  that  your  school 
should  continue  to  flourish  during  your  remaining  days  of 
labor,  that  I  ought  to  take  a  course  which  would  diminish 
my  present  usefulness,  and  hazard  my  future  usefulness, 
rather  than  greatly  to  hazard  the  prosperity  of  Miss  Grant's 
school,  and  her  usefulness  thereby.  A  small  hazard  may 
be  justifiable. 

"  This  letter  has  cost  me  more  hours  than  any  letter  I  have 
written  you  this  winter,  and  I  fear  it  will  cost  you  more  to 
read  it ;  and  how  little  it  contains  ! 
16 


182  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

"  If  the  experiment  is  made  at  Amherst,  the  hand  of 
Providence  would,  undoubtedly,  make  it  plain  duty  for  us  to 
continue  together." 

May  2,  1833,  on  the  same  subject,  she  writes,  "  I  am 
very  glad,  my  dearest  friend,  that  you  propose  to  endeavor 
to  learn  that  you  can  do  without  me.  I  should  rejoice  to 
have  you  learn  this  lesson  fully,  even  if  we  should  hereafter 
decide  that  it  is  our  duty  to  continue  through  life  to  labor 
together." 

In  reference  to  the  anticipated  meeting  at  Amherst,  Miss 
Lyon  wrote,  on  March  14,  1833, — 

"  I  consider  the  friends  of  the  original  plan  as  having  all 
failed,  except  Messrs.  Felt  and  Heard.  The  subject  is  now 
about  to  assume  a  new  aspect,  and  to  have  a  new  beginning. 
Will  rt  not  be  best  to  endeavor  to  operate  on  a  new  circle 
of  friends,  who  have  hitherto  known  but  little  on  the  subject, 
rather  than  on  those  who  have  known  something,  and  cared 
less  7  Is  it  not  also  very  desirable  to  exert  an  influence 
through  gentlemen,  rather  than  directly  by  ourselves.? 
AVithout  a  strict  adherence  to  this  purpose,  in  the  prepara- 
tory steps,  I  think  the  plan  will  utterly  fail.  This  purpose, 
adhered  to,  will  increase  our  labor,  but  it  may  turn  to  much 
more  account  in  the  end." 

The  aspect  of  things  had  so  changed,  that  the  gentlemen 
who  acted  as  nominal  trustees  of  the  proposed  New  England 
seminary  judged  it  expedient  to  dissolve  the  board.  A  meet- 
ing for  this  purpose  was  called  in  the  early  part  of  April, 
1833.  In  a  subsequent  letter.  Miss  Lyon  writes,  "  I  do  not 
know  that  I  have  told  you  of  the  dissolution  of  the  board  of 
prospective  trustees.  On  the  18th  of  March,  a  circular 
letter  was  sent  to  each,  requesting  his  attendance  at  the 
meeting,  or  a  written  answer,  authorizing  some  one  present 
to  vote  in  his  stead,  on  the  question  of  a  dissolution.  The 
meeting  was  held  on  the  day  before  the  annual  fast.    Messrs. 


FAILURE    OF    THE    NEW    ENGLAND    SEMINARY.  183 

Felt,  G,  W.  Fleard,  and  William  Heard  were  present.  One 
of  the  absentees  sent  a  letter  to  Mr.  G.  W.  Heard,  authoriz- 
ing Mr.  H.  to  give  his  vote  in  favor  of  dissolving.  The  oth- 
ers did  not  reply,  but  there  was  a  quorum  present,  and  the 
business  was  completed.  In  the  letter  just  referred  to,  it  is 
very  justly  said,  'The  board  of  the  proposed  female  semi- 
nary has  not  been  organized  in  vain.  It  has  done  something 
to  bring  the  subject  of  female  education  more  fully  before 
the  public  mind,  and  the  consequences  may  be  important 
dnd  salutary.  I  do  not  perceive  that  this  board  can  attempt 
any  thing  more  ;  and  I  must  confess  that  the  best  men  in 
the  community  do  not  favor  our  plan  of  a  female  seminary 
so  much  as  I  anticipated.  I  wish  Miss  Lyon  and  her  coad- 
jutors to  know  that  I  am  as  favorable  to  female  education 
as  ever.' " 

April  6,  1833,  Miss  Lyon  writes  to  Miss  Grant,  "  I  think 
there  are  more  than  nine  chances  out  of  ten  that  the  door  of 
Providence  will  be  closed  against  all  future  operations  towards 
founding  a  permanent  institution." 

The  proposed  meeting  at  Amherst  was  appointed  to  be 
held  on  the  25th  of  that  month.  Referring  to  it,  she  says, 
"  If  this  effort  should  fail,  it  seems  to  me  evident  that  it  will 
be  the  duty  of  Messrs.  Heard  and  Felt,  and  of  ourselves,  to 
take  a  different  attitude;  to  give  up  all  thought  and  expecta- 
tion of  doing  any  thing  directly  for  the  object,  but  only  to 
disseminate  knowledge  which  may  operate  on  the  next  gen- 
eration. If  the  effort  now  commencing  should  fail,  I  think 
that  we  should  select  a  favorable  location  for  usefulness,  and 
settle  down  for  life,  disclaiming  all  expectation  that  any  plan 
for  a  permanent  seminary  will  ever  succeed  in  our  day. 
We  may  describe  the  advantages  of  such  an  institution, 
what  the  public  ought  to  do,  and  what  they  probably  will  do 
in  the  next  generation.  We  might  always  speak  as  if  the 
public  were  not  now  prepared  for  such  an  undertaking,  and 


184  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

would  not  be  prepared  for  many  years.  When  it  is  evident 
that  all  has  been  done  that  can  be  on  our  part,  would  there 
not  be  essential  advantages  in  our  taking  this  attitude  ?  It 
would  be  more  according  to  the  common  leadings  of  Provi- 
dence that  we  should  in  this  way  collect  the  materials,  and 
that  the  temple  should  be  built  by  our  successors." 

These  apparently  fruitless  efforts  were  not  without  their 
uses.  A  certain  class  of  the  community  had  become  familiar 
with  the  subject  of  founding  a  permanent  female  seminary, 
and  some  few  were  sorry  that  the  scheme  had  failed.  Miss 
Lyon's  own  soul  had  become  completely  permeated  with  the 
subject.  She  knew  not  her  own  heart  when  she  spoke,  in 
her  letter  of  April  6,  1833,  of  giving  up  all  thought  and  ex- 
pectation of  doing  any  thing  more  towards  the  object,  in  case 
the  effort  in  which  she  was  then  engaged  should  fail.  She 
had  learned  to  lay  plans  for  buildings  for  a  school  and  fam- 
ily in  an  economical  and  convenient  manner.  Most  thor- 
oughly was  she  taught  that,  for  efficient  aid,  she  must  look 
not  to  the  honored  and  wealthy,  who  were  already  laden 
with  responsibilities,  and  drained  by  constant  calls  for  charity, 
but  to  men  comparatively  retired  and  unknown.  She  saw 
that  it  might  be  necessary  to  commence  operations  on  a 
small  scale,  and  work  with  such  means  as  she  could  command, 
and  by  the  experiment  win  public  confidence  and  public  aid 
to  assist  more  largely  in  the  enterprise.  She  moderated  her 
expectations  as  to  friends,  till,  at  one  time,  she  felt  that  she 
could  work,  if  only  two  or  three  gentlemen  and  ladies  would 
cordially  sustain  her  by  their  influence  and  cooperation.  She 
was  convinced,  to  a  degree  to  which  no  abstract  reasoning 
could  have  conducted  her,  that  the  argument  from  the  supe- 
rior literary  and  scientific  advantages  of  a  permanent  school 
could  not  be  relied  on  for  gaining  the  attention  of  the  com- 
munity, and  securing  their  interest ;  but  that  some  peculiar 
and  tangible  feature,  addressing  itself  to  the  feelings  and 


Miss  lyon's  plans  modified.  185 

perceptions  of  the  middling  classes  of  society,  must  be  used 
as  a  lever  for  moving  public  opinion  and  obtaining  the 
needed  funds.  These  lessons  were  of  great  use  to  her  in 
her  future  and  successful  labors. 


SECTION    IV. 
Miss  Lyon's  Plans  modified  and  matured. 

Miss  Lyon's  inventive  mind  continued  earnestly  to  re- 
volve the  question,  "  How  can  a  permanent  seminary  for 
ladies  be  secured  ?  "  Imperceptibly  to  herself,  her  plans 
were  more  and  more  modified,  until  she  found  a  way  to  the 
hearts  and  purses  of  the  friends  of  education.  We  give  ex- 
tracts from  her  letters,  showing  the  progress  of  her  mind  in 
the  solution  of  the  problem. 

In  the  following  letter,  we  see  the  first  germ  of  a  peculiar 
feature  in  the  Holyoke  school  as  to  the  domestic  arrange- 
ments.    It  is  written  to  Miss  Grant. 

"Ipswich,  April  16,  1833. 
"  I  believe  I  once  said  something  to  you  about  having  an 
institution  at  the  west,  with  the  style  plain,  the  food  simple, 
almost  all  the  labor  done  by  the  teachers  and  scholars,  and 
the  expenses  very  low.  Involuntarily  my  spirit  has  been 
stirred  within  me  to  try  such  a  plan  on  a  small  scale,  but  I 
have  heretofore  subdued  these  emotions." 

After  speaking  of  the  inexpediency  of  her  attempting  any 
thing  of  the  kind,  she  says,  "  But  I  have  thought  very  much 
about  it,  with  a  view  of  having  some  other  person  execute  the 
plan,  if  any  one  could  be  found  who  would  do  it  well.  I  should 
not  wish  to  undertake  it,  unless  two  or  three  judicious  gentlemeu 
16* 


186  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

and  ladies  should  fall  into  it  most  cordially  and  most  ardently. 
One  idea  more  has  passed  across  my  mind,  which,  however, 
I  do  not  think  there  is  one  chance  in  twenty  that  it  would  be 
wise  to  adopt.  It  is  this :  Might  it  not  be  of  advantage,  as  a 
preparatory  step  for  testing  the ,  practicability  of  the  object, 
to  make  an  experiment  for  a  year  or  two  on  a  small  scale, 
say  of  thirty,  forty,  or  fifty  scholars,  in  New  England  ?  A 
failure  here  would  be  less  unfavorable  than  a  failure  at  the 
west."  Her  reasons  for  ultimately  establishing  her  school 
at  the  east,  rather  than  the  west,  will  be  found  in  a  subse- 
quent letter,  dated  July  5,  1834.  On  the  25th  of  April, 
Miss  Lyon  was  at  Amherst,  at  the  meeting  already  men- 
tioned. She  writes,  "  A  committee  of  seven  was  appointed 
to  call  another  meeting,  in  reference  to  the  proposed  semi- 
nary. It  will  probably  be  held  in  Boston,  about  the  time  of 
the  religious  anniversaries  ;  but  whether  it  will  be  of  suffi- 
cient interest  to  advance  the  business  a  single  step,  I  think 
doubtful."  Again,  some  six  weeks  later,  she  writes,  "  There 
was  a  meeting  appointed  in  Boston,  in  reference  to  the  plan 
of  a  seminary.  Very  few  were  present.  The  meeting  was 
adjourned  ;  and  the  adjourned  meeting  utterly  failed.  There 
were  not  enough  present  to  organize,  and  there  the  business, 
in  my  view,  has  come  to  an  end.  I  do  not  think  it  best  to 
make  any  attempt  to  revive  the  subject  again.  The  indica- 
tions of  Providence  appear  to  me  plain." 

Miss  Grant  returned  to  Ipswich  in  the  spring  of  1833,  and 
resumed  her  place  in  the  school.  Miss  Lyon,  according  to 
previous  arrangements,  spent  the  summer  in  journeying  and 
visiting.  Her  mind,  during  her  travels,  was  constantly  la- 
boring at  the  problem  which  she  had,  as  yet,  been  unsuc- 
cessful in  solving.  On  her  return  in  the  fall,  she  continued 
her  connection  with  the  Ipswich  school  ;  but  she  devoted 
much  time  and  strength  to  maturing  and  modifying  her  plans. 
February  26,  1834,  she  wrote  to  Miss  W.,  "  During  the 
past  year,  my  heart  has  so  yearned  over  the  adult  female 


CIRCULAR   TO    FRIENDS    OF    EDUCATION.  187 

youth,  in  the  common  walks  of  life,  that  it  has  sometimes 
seemed  as  though  a  fire  were  shut  up  in  my  bones.  I  should 
esteem  it  a  greater  favor  to  labor  in  this  field  than  in  any 
other  on  which  I  have  ever  fastened  my  attention."  With 
Miss  Grant's  concurrence  and  approbation,  she  prepared  the 
following  circular  during  that  winter.  It  was  obviously  in- 
tended for  any  and  all  friends  of  an  enlarged  Christian 
education,  as  well  as  for  those  to  whom  it  was  particularly 
addressed. 

To  THE  Feiends  and  Pateons  of 

Ipswich  Female  Seminakt  : 

It  has  long  been  a  subject  of  deep  regret  to  individuals,  familiarly 
acquainted  with  the  character  and  influence  of  this  institution,  that 
many  promising  young  ladies,  for  the  want  of  pecuniary  means,  should 
be  denied  its  privileges.  These  friends  of  universal  education  and  of 
religion  have  fixed  their  ej'es  on  one  and  another  of  their  acquaintances, 
who  would  be  greatly  benefited  by  the  advantages  of  this  seminary, 
and  who  have  ardently  desired  to  enjoy  them  for  at  least  one  year,  but 
whose  desires  have  hitherto  been  in  vain.  In  behalf  of  such  individ- 
uals, the  inquiry  has  often  been  made,  whether  board  in  some  families 
in  Ipswich  could  not  be  furnished  at  a  lower  rate  than  usual;  and 
whether  they  could  not  render  some  assistance  by  labor,  so  as  partly  to 
defray  the  expense,  and  thus  bring  these  privileges  within  their  reach. 
Efforts  which  should  meet,  in  any  degree,  the  wants  of  this  interesting 
portion  of  the  community,  would,  without  doubt,  find  a  response  in 
many  a  benevolent  heart.  Could  the  expenses  be  reduced  one  third,  or 
one  half,  a  great  number,  who  now  almost  despair  of  ever  being  able 
to  realize  the  object  of  their  ardent  desires,  would  be  made  to  rejoice  in 
the  possession  of  opportunities  for  instruction  and  improvement,  which 
they  would  value  more  than  silver  or  gold.  Many  others,  whose  re- 
sources will  not  now  permit  them  to  enjoy  these  privileges  more  than 
one  term,  or  one  year,  would  derive  scarcely  less  benefit  from  such  a 
provision.  To  effect  such  an  object,  could  not  a  separate  and  inde- 
pendent institution,  similar  in  character  to  the  Ipswich  Seminary,  be 
founded  and  sustained  by  the  Christian  public  f  Could  not  this  be 
effected  by  some  plan  like  the  following  ? 

1.  Buildings  for  the  accommodation  of  the  school  and  of  boarders, 
together  with  fui-niture  and  all  other  things  necessai*y  for  the  outfit,  to 
be  furnished  by  voluntary  contributions,  and  placed,  free  from  encum- 


188  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

brance,  in  tlie  hands  of  trustees,  who  should  be  men  of  enlarged  viewi 
and  of  Christian  benevolence. 

2.  Teachers  to  be  secured  possessing  so  much  of  a  missionary  spirit 
that  they  would  labor  faithfully  and  cheerfully,  receiving  only  a  moder- 
ate salary,  compared  with  what  they  could  command  in  other  situations. 

3.  Style  of  living  neat,  but  very  plain  and  simple. 

4.  Domestic  work  of  the  family  to  be  performed  by  the  members  of 
tlie  school. 

5.  Board  and  tuition  to  be  placed  at  cost,  or  as  low  as  may  be,  and 
still  cover  the  common  expenses  of  the  family,  instruction,  &c. 

6.  The  whole  plan  to  be  conducted  on  the  principles  of  our  mission- 
ar}-  operations ;  no  surplus  income  to  go  to  the  teachers,  to  the  domestic 
superintendent,  or  to  any  other  person,  but  all  to  be  cast  into  the  treas- 
ury, for  the  still  further  reduction  of  the  expenses  the  ensuing  year. 

From  a  careful  review  of  the  above  principles,  would  it  not  be  safe 
to  calculate  on  a  reduction  of  one  third,  and  perhaps  one  half,  from  the 
expense  of  board  and  tuition  at  Ipswich  1  Such  a  reduction  could  not, 
indeed,  be  expected  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  more  needy  and  depend- 
ent. The  design  would  be  to  benefit  more  directly  a  very  large  and 
interesting  portion  of  the  industrious  and  enterprising,  who  are  able  to 
do  something  for  their  daughters,  and  who  would  be  induced  to  make 
far  greater  efforts  in  behalf  of  their  education  than  they  now  do,  could 
they  secure  to  them  equal  advantages  to  those  of  one  of  our  best  and 
most  respectable  female  seminaries  at  so  moderate  an  expense.  If  the 
standard  of  female  education  among  this  class  could  by  any  means  be 
raised,  and  its  influence  more  extensively  diffused,  every  department 
of  society  must  sooner  or  later  experience  the  beneficial  results. 

The  difficulty  of  raising  funds  would  doubtless  be  the  greatest  ob- 
stacle to  such  an  undertaking.  But  there  are  many  individuals  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  our  country,  who  confidently  believe  that  something  of 
the  kind  could  be  effected,  if  the  proper  course  were  taken  to  interest 
the  public.  The  object  should  be  brought  forward  with  very  broad  and 
liberal  views,  without  any  semblance  of  local  interest.  It  should  be 
presented  as  a  public  enterprise,  for  the  public  benefit,  clauning  equally 
the  patronage  of  every  part  of  New  England.  To  effect  this,  and  to 
secure  public  confidence,  no  special  favors  should  be  granted  to  the 
town  where  the  institution  is  established.  For  example,  none  should 
be  received  into  the  school,  unless  they  enter  the  establishment  as 
boarders,  subject  to  all  its  regulations,  in  the  same  manner  as  those 
from  abroad. 

The  location  would  be  a  matter  of  special  importance.  It  should 
be  one  which  would  be  viewed  with  a  favorable  eye,  not  only  by  the 


LETTER    TO    THOMAS    WHITE,    ESQ.  189 

immediate  vicinity,  but  by  the  community  in  general ;  and  one  for 
which  funds  could  as  easily  be  raised  as  for  any  other  location.  The 
spot  selected  should  be  adapted  to  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  such 
an  institution.  It  should  be  alike  suited  to  nourish  the  tender  plant, 
and  to  support  the  lofty  oak. 

To  Thomas  White,  Esq.,of  Ashfield,  who  had  been  deep- 
ly interested  in  her  Buckland  and  Ashfield  schools,  she  for- 
warded a  number  of  these  circulars,  for  distribution  among 
the  gentlemen  of  his  acquaintance,  accompanying  them  with 
a  letter,  from  which  some  extracts  are  given. 

"Ipswich,  March  5,  1834. 

"  I  have  long  felt  a  great  desire  that  the  advantages  of  a 
seminary  like  this  should  be  brought  \vithin  the  reach  of 
the  common  people  generally,  and  that  by  some  means  the 
expenses  should  be  reduced  to  a  level  with  their  ability.  I 
do  wish  our  farmers  would  look  at  this,  and  see  what  can  be 
done.  If  they  would  take  hold  of  it  vigorously,  I  do  think 
something  could  be  done,  perhaps  something  which  would 
secure  the  interests  of  thousands  of  their  posterity.  While 
it  is  desirable  that  every  benevolent  man  should  be  able  to 
grasp  all  the  benevolent  objects  of  the  day,  and  do  some- 
thing for  all,  I  doubt  not  but  the  best  interests  of  the  whole 
are  promoted  by  having  one  mind  directed  to  one  object,  and 
another  to  another.  I  have  been  thinking  that  if  this  object 
should  be  brought  up,  and  viewed  in  its  true  light,  some  of 
our  fathers  in  the  cause  of  benevolence  might  select  it  as 
the  child  of  their  prayers  and  of  their  charities.  Who  would 
be  more  likely  to  begin  upon  it  than  our  wealthy  farmers  } 

"  And  now,  my  dear  sir,  in  your  old  age,  would  you  not 
be  glad,  with  a  few  other  kindred  souls,  to  be  the  means  of 
commencing  a  great  work,  which,  in  importance  to  the  wel- 
fare of  our  country,  of  the  church,  and  of  the  world,  shall 
not  fall  behind  the  home  missionary,  or  any  other  of  our 
leading  benevolent  societies  ?     Would  you  not  gladly  see 


190  THE   GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

such  a  work  begun,  and  advancing  ?  And  how  would  your 
heart  rejoice,  if,  before  you  sleep  in  the  dust,  you  could  see 
it  rise  and  spread  as  our  foreign  missionary  operations  have 
done  ?  This,  I  believe,  may  be  accomplished,  and  he  who, 
first  putting  his  hand  to  the  work,  shall  say  to  others,  '  Come, 
and  do  likewise,'  will  deserve  a  place  with  Mills,  with  Robert 
Raikes,  and  others  of  like  eminence.  I  do  long  to  have  some 
one  or  more  gentlemen  look  at  this  object,  till  they  are  ready 
to  do  something  for  it.  I  would  gladly  do  as  much  of  the 
work  as  I  can,  and  I  find  other  ladies  ready  to  join  in  it. 

"  I  have  long  had  a  secret  hope  that  the  time  would  arrive, 
when  I  could  consistently  give  up  my  present  sphere  of  la- 
bor, and  in  some  way  devote  my  life,  my  strength,  and  all 
my  powers  to  this  object.  That  time  has  now  arrived  ;  and, 
after  laboring  half  a  year  longer  for  this  seminary,  I  expect 
to  close  my  connection  with  it." 

The  following  letter  of  Miss  Lyon  to  her  mother  seems 
like  a  peep  into  her  very  soul :  — 

"Ipswich,  May  12,  1834. 
"  My  very  dear  Mother  : 

"  I  do  not  expect  to  continue  my  connection  with  Miss  G. 
after  this  summer.  I  have  for  a  great  while  been  thuiking 
about  those  young  ladies  who  find  it  necessary  to  make  such 
an  effort  for  their  education  as  I  made,  when  I  was  obtaining 
mine.  In  one  respect,  from  year  to  year,  I  have  not  felt 
quite  satisfied  with  my  present  field  of  labor.  I  have  de- 
sired to  be  in  a  school,  the  expenses  of  which  would  be  so 
small,  that  many  who  are  now  discouraged  from  endeavor- 
ing to  enjoy  the  privileges  of  this,  might  be  favored  with 
those  which  are  similar  at  less  expense. 

"  The  course  of  instruction  adopted  in  this  institution,  and 
the  course  which  I  have  endeavored  to  adopt  when  1  have 
instructed  among  my  native  hills,  I  believe  is  eminently  suited 


LETTER    TO    HER    MOTHER.  191 

to  make  good  mothers  as  well  as  teachers.  I  have  had  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  many,  who  have  enjoyed  these  privileges, 
occupying  the  place  of  mothers.  I  have  noticed  with  pe- 
culiar interest  the  cultivated  and  good  common  sense,  the 
correct  reasoning,  the  industry  and  perseverance,  the  pa- 
tience, meekness,  and  gentleness  of  many  of  them.  I  have 
felt,  that  if  all  our  common  farmers,  men  of  plain,  good  com- 
mon sense,  could  go  through  the  country  and  witness  these 
mothers  in  their  own  families,  and  compare  them  with  others 
in  similar  circumstances,  they  would  no  longer  consider  the 
money  expended  on  these  mothers  as  thrown  away. 

"  Since  I  have  lived  to  see  so  many  of  these  ladies  in  their 
own  families,  I  have  felt  more  than  ever  before,  that  my 
field  of  labor  was  among  the  most  desirable.  I  have  felt 
that  I  could  thank  Him  who  has  given  me  my  work  to  do. 
O  how  immensely  important  is  this  work  of  preparing  the 
daughters  of  the  land  to  be  good  mothers !  If  they  are  pre- 
pared for  this  situation,  they  will  have  the  most  important 
preparation  which  they  can  have  for  any  other ;  they  can 
soon  and  easily  become  good  teachers,  and  they  will  be- 
come, at  all  events,  good  members  of  society.  The  fals^ 
delicacy,  which  some  young  ladies  indulge,  will  vanish  away 
as  they  see  most  of  the  companions  of  their  childhood  and 
youth  occupying  the  solemn  and  responsible  situation  of 
mothers.  It  will  no  longer  appear  like  a  subject  for  which 
no  care  should  be  taken  in  the  training  of  daughters. 

"  While,  in  the  good  providence  of  God,  I  have  been  per- 
mitted to  occupy  a  field  of  labor  where  I  could  aid  in 
preparing  some  who  must  mould  the  character  of  future 
generations  for  their  great  work,  and  while  I  have  enjoyed 
much  in  my  labor,  I  have  not  been  quite  satisfied.  I  have 
looked  out  from  my  quiet  scene  of  labor  on  the  wide  world, 
and  my  heart  has  longed  to  see  many  enjoying  these  privi- 
leges, who  cannot  for  the  want  of  means.  I  have  longed"  to 
be  permitted  to  labor  where  the  expenses  would  be  less  than 


198  THE   GREAT    STHUGGLE. 

they  are  here,  so  that  more  of  our  daughters  could  reap  tne 
fruits.  Sometimes  my  heart  has  burned  within  me  ;  and 
again  I  have  bid  it  be  quiet.  I  have  sometimes  speculated, 
and  built  airy  castles,  and  again  I  have  bid  my  mind  dwell 
on  sober  realities.  I  have  thought  that  there  might  be  a 
plan  devised  by  which  something  could  be  done.  I  have 
further  thought,  that  if  I  could  be  entirely  released  from 
all  engagements  and  all  encumbrances,  perhaps  I  might 
in  time  find  some  way  opened  before  me  for  promoting  this 
good  object.  With  this  view,  I  decided  some  time  since,  if 
Miss  Grant's  health  should  be  sufficiently  restored,  to  pro- 
pose a  separation.  That  time  has  now  come,  and  we  have 
agreed  to  close  our  joint  labors  next  fall.  Miss  Grant  is  to 
be  absent  through  the  summer  term,  to  improve  her  strength, 
and  we  shall  spend  most  of  the  vacation  here  together,  in 
getting  ready  for  the  winter,  and  then  I  expect  to  leave  this 
scene  of  labor  forever. 

"  I  do  not  expect  immediately  to  commence  in  any  other 
field.  I  very  much  want  six  months  or  a  year  to  read,  write, 
plan,  and  do  a  thousand  other  things.  I  do  not  expect  to  be 
^dle.  This  may  seem  like  a  wild  scheme  ;  but  I  cannot  plead 
that  it  is  a  hasty  one.  I  have  had  it  under  careful  considera- 
tion two  years  or  more,  and  for  one  whole  year  the  question 
has  been  weighed  by  Miss  Grant  and  myself. 

"  I  hope  and  trust  that  this  is  of  the  Lord,  and  that  he  wiil 
prosper  it.  In  this  movement,  I  have  thought  much  more 
constantly,  and  have  felt  much  more  deeply,  about  doing 
that  which  shall  be  for  the  honor  of  Christ,'  and  for  the  good 
of  souls,  than  I  ever  did  in  any  step  in  my  life.  I  want  that 
you  should  pray  for  me,  my  dear  mother,  that  I  may  in  this 
thing  be  guided  by  wisdom  from  above,  and  that  the  Lord 
would  bless  me,  and  make  me  a  blessing.  My  daily  prayer 
to  God  is.  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ?  If  the  Lord 
go  not  with  me,  let  me  not  go  up  hence. 

"  Perhaps  you  may  inquire,  what  course  I  expect  to  take, 


LETTER  TO  MISS  GRANT.  193 

and  where  is  to  be  my  future  scene  of  labor.  This  I  do  not 
know*  The  present  path  of  duty  is  plain.  The  future  I  can 
leave  with  Him  who  doeth  all  things  well." 

Miss  Grant  journeyed  to  Ohio  during  the  summer  of 
1834.  The  following  letter  of  Miss  Lyon  to  her,  soon  after 
she  left  Ipswich,  is  in  answer  to  objections  brought  against 
the  plan  of  having  the  teachers  in  the  proposed  school  re- 
ceive a  comparatively  low  compensation.  She  never  re- 
ceived more  than  two  hundred  dollars  per  annum  for  her 
services.     She  had  always  a  home  in  the  seminary  beside. 

"Ipswich,  May  6,  1834. 
"  Is  it  not  true,  that,  on  extraordinary  occasions,  it  may  be 
the  duty  of  benevolent  individuals  to  labor  without  expecting 
to  receive  that  which  is  their  just  due  ?  Does  not  any  good 
object,  which  has  not  yet  gained  the  public  confidence,  often 
furnish  such  an  occasion  ?  In  such  emergencies,  has  not  the 
church  always  been  able  to  furnish  some  who  are  ready  to 
turn  a  deaf  ear  to  louder  calls,  and  continue  to  do  so,  while 
the  necessity  lasts  !  Was  not  the  apostle  Paul  one  who  acted 
preeminently  on  this  principle  .''  How  plainly  does  he  teach, 
that  the  laborer  is  worthy  of.  his  reward,  and  that  the  Lord 
hath  so  ordained,  that  those  who  preach  the'  gospel  should 
live  of  the  gospel.  Yet  he  used  not  this  power,  lest  he  should 
hinder  the  gospel,  and  lest  his  good  should  be  evil  spoken  of. 
That  necessity  has  passed  away,  and  it  is  no  longer  desirable 
that  in  Christian  lands  the  gospel  should  be  without  charge. 
But  do  not  some  of  our  missionaries  adopt  a  similar  principle  ? 
How  great  are  their  sacrifices,  compared  with  those  of  min- 
isters at  home  !  What  minister  in  a  Christian  land  would  not 
sooner  relinquish  one  half  of  his  salary,  and  even  one  half 
of  the  remainder,  than  subject  his  children  to  the  evils  to 
which  the  children  of  missionaries  are  exposed  ?  What  re- 
ward is  given  to  missionaries  for  all  this  sacrifice  ?  Does  it 
17 


194  THE    GKEAT    STRUGGLE. 

not  appear,  that  even  justice,  to  say  nothing  of  mercy,  would 
compel  those  who  send  them  forth  to  pledge  at  least  the 
education  of  their  children  ?  This  would  be  but  a  small  re- 
turn for  the  debt  of  gratitude  due  to  some  of  our  mission- 
aries from  the  churches.  But  this  return,  the  most  precious 
of  a  pecuniary  kind  that  can  be  made,  the  Christian  public 
are  not  sufficiently  enlightened  to  render.  But  the  mission- 
ary cause  has  not  been  forsaken  on  this  account.  Louder 
calls  do  not  turn  the  devoted  missionary  from  his  purpose. 
Is  not  this  the  condition  of  the  object  under  consideration  .-' 
Is  it  not  very  important  that  mothers  should  be  so  trained, 
that  they  will  be  proper  educators  for  the  children  of  the 
church  .''  To  effect  this,  is  there  not  great  need  of  female 
seminaries,  cheap  but  good  schools  ?  And  is  there  any  hope 
of  establishing  such  schools  without  the  aid  of  the  benevolent 
Christian  public  .''  And  while  the  public  are  so  little  prepared 
to  contribute  liberally  to  an  object  like  this,  may  it  not  be 
expedient  that  those  who  first  enter  the  field  as  laborers 
should  receive  as  a  reward  so  little  of  '  filthy  lucre,'  that 
they  may  be  able  to  commend  themselves  to  every  man's 
conscience,  even  to  those  whose  minds  are  nan*ow,  and 
whose  hearts  are  not  much  enlarged  by  Christian  philan- 
thropy ?  If  such  a  course  should  be  desirable  at  the  com- 
mencement, how  many  years,  or  how  many  scores  of  years, 
must  elapse  before  it  would  be  no  longer  needful,  time  and 
experience  alone  can  decide." 

In  the  latter  part  of  May,  about  the  time  of  the  religious 
anniversaries,  she  writes  to  Miss  Grant,  "  I  saw  Dr.  Packard 
last  week  in  Boston.  He  has  gained  the  sanction  of  the 
Franklin  and  Hampshire  Associations  of  Ministers  to  any 
attempt  that  may  be  made  to  establish  a  female  seminary 
within  their  bounds.  He  intends  to  ask  for  a  vote  of  appro- 
bation from  the  Pastoral  Association;  and  again  from  the 
General  Association  of  Massachusetts,  which  meets  in  Berk- 


LETTER    TO   A   GENTLEMAN    AT    ANDOVEE.  195 

shire  bounty  the  last  of  June.  Dr.  P.  says,  that  he  is  sixty- 
five  years  old,  and  can  only  do  a  little  of  the  work  at  the  out- 
set, and  somebody  else  must  carry  it  on.  Who  that  some  one 
else  is  to  be,  no  one  knows." 

Alluding  in  the  same  letter  to  her  separation  from  Miss 
Grant,  she  says,  "  I  do  believe  that  an  overruling  Providence 
will  remember  your  faithfulness  in  Mr.  Emerson's  school, 
and  that  you  will  always  have  given  to  you  kindred  hearts, 
able  teachers,  as  your  health. and  other  circumstances  may 
require.  He  tempercth  the  wind  to  the  shorn  lamb,  but  on 
the  hardy  sons  of  the  forest  he  causeth  the  winds  and  the 
tempest  to  beat.  It  is  good,  my  dear  friend,  to  commend 
you  to  our  heavenly  Father." 

To  a  gentleman  at  Andover,  who  had  expressed  an  interest 
in  her  plans,  and  had  suggested  Andover  as  a  good  location 
for  her  contemplated  school,  she  writes,  under  date  of  July 
5,  1834,— 

"  Rev.  Mr.  K.  called  on  me  yesterday,  making  some  in- 
quiries in  your  name,  relative  to  my  plans  for  future  labors. 
I  have  been  desirous  of  an  interview  with  you,  that  I  might 
learn  your  views  on  several  particulars. 

"  I  have  decided  to  close  my  connection  with  this  institu- 
tion, with  a  hope  of  using  my  limited  influence  towards 
advancing  the  belief  that  female  schools  of  an  elevated  char- 
acter may  be  furnished  at  a  very  moderate  expense.  I  have 
much  stronger  desires  to  do  something  towards  establishing 
some  general  principles  on  female  education  than  to  accom- 
plish much  myself.  But  I  do  hope  that  Providence  will  open 
a  door,  where  I  may  labor  directly  in  a  school  in  behalf  of 
this  great  and  important  cause,  as  I  believe  I  can  do  more  in 
this  way  than  in  any  other. 

"  I  have  no  definite  spot  in  view  where  I  may  spend  the 
remnant  of  my  strength  in  behalf  of  an  object  which  for  a 
long  time  has  seemed  to  drink  up  my  spirits.  I  have  not 
been  so  affected,  because  this  object  is  more  important  than 


196  THE    GREAT    STRTTGGLE. 

many  others,  but  on  the  same  principle  that  I  should  be 
more  moved  by  the  cries  of  a  drowning  child,  where  no  de- 
liverer was  near,  than  by  those  of  one  actually  in  the  arms 
of  relief.  I  have  no  doubt  there  will  be  many  objections 
raised.  To  avoid  these,  as  far  as  possible,  as  well  as  to 
rouse  a  candid  attention  to  any  features  which  may  be  some-  • 
what  new  and  peculiar,  I  have  supposed  that,  in  many  par- 
ticulars, it  would  be  of  great  importance  to  meet  the  views 
of  the  judicious  part  of  the  community.  On  this  account,  I 
have  been  desirous  that  a  location  might  be  selected  by  a 
committee,  so  appointed  that  they  would  be  regarded  as  a 
kind  of  representative  of  the  public.  Whether  it  is  prac- 
ticable to  create  such  a  committee,  I  do  not  know.  I  have 
conversed  with  two  or  three  gentlemen  on  this  point,  who 
think  that  some  plan  can  be  devised  by  which  the  thing  may 
be  brought  about.  It  was  suggested  that  something  towards 
the  object  might  be  done  at  the  General  Association,  that  met 
at  Lee  last  week.  But  on  such  occasions,  the  multiplicity  of 
objects,  each  of  which  has  several  warm  advocates,  generally 
presses  out  an  object  of  this  sort,  which  has  so  few  warm- 
hearted friends. 

"  You  will,  of  course,  perceive  that  I  cannot  now  give  any 
definite  opinion  with  regard  to  Andover  as  a  location.  If  it 
should  be  judged  by  gentlemen  from  different  parts  of  New 
England  to  be  a  favorable,  or  the  most  favorable,  for  which 
there  is  any  probability  of  raising  funds,  I  should  not  shrink 
from  undertaking  even  there,  though  it  would  be  a  location 
attended  with  difficulties. 

"  The  question  of  the  expediency  of  my  devoting  myself 
to  this  object  in  some  place  farther  west  has  been  several 
times  mentioned  to  me.  That  influence  needs  to  be  put 
forth  in  the  more  western  states,  as  in  New  England,  can- 
not be  doubted.  The  opinion,  which  has  so  universally  pre- 
vailed here,  that  female  seminaries  of  the  first  respectability 
must  necessarily  be  expensive,  has  overspread  the  whole 


LETTER   TO    MISS   W.  197 

State  of  New  York,  and  marched  on  farther  still,  keeping 
pace  with  every  effort  in  behalf  of  female  education.  As  I 
believe,  with  many  others,  that  this  opinion  is  an  error,  and 
a  highly  injurious  one,  this  is  the  point  on  which  my  mind 
centres  more  than  on  any  other,  and  on  which  I  wish  to  use 
an  influence  as  far  as  I  can.  Considering  the  vast  impor- 
tance of  the  more  western  portion  of  our  country,  and  the 
more  abundant  zeal,  and  the  greater  rapidity  with  which 
they  carry  any  thing  forward,  when  they  are  once  convinced 
of  its  importance,  I  have  been  half  inclined,  at  times,  to  look 
upon  some  spot  beyond  the  limits  of  New  England  as  more 
desirable  for  experiments  on  this  subject.  But,  considering 
that  improvements  in  education  seldom  make  any  progress 
eastward,  my  purpose  to  live  and  labor  in  New  England  has, 
during  ihe  last  six  months,  become  fixed  and  unchanging." 

TO   MISS   w. 

"Ipswich,  August  1,  1834. 
"  My  dear  Miss  W. : 

"  How  long,  very  long,  it  is  since  you  have  written  to  me, 
or  I  to  you  !  I  can  hardly  realize  that  I  have  so  little  inter- 
course with  those  whom  I  so  tenderly  love,  those  whom  I  once 
met  daily  face  to  face,  and  with  whom  I  held  delightful  in- 
tercourse sometimes  from  hour  to  hour.  But  it  is  even  so. 
I  have  not  written  to  dear  A.  for  a  great,  very  great  while. 
How  was  my  soul  knit  to  her  soul !  Seldom  have  I  loved 
any  one  so  much,  dear  Miss  Grant  excepted.  But  we  have 
long  been  separated,  perhaps  to  meet  no  more  on  earth. 
Long  separation  breaks  up  the  vividness  of  affection,  but  the 
strength  still  remains.  How  delightful  will  it  be  to  have  this 
affection  renewed  in  heaven  !  I  have  to  bid  dear  Miss  Grant 
farewell,  no  more  to  live  with  her  on  earth.  This  separation 
has  not  severed  my  heart,  but  it  has  so  shaken  it  as  to  render 
it  most  tenderly  alive  to  all  emotions  of  affection,  which  have 
sometimes  seemed  to  lie  dormant  in  my  heart.  I  love  more 
17* 


198  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

than  ever  to  dwell  on  those  friends  who  shared  the  warmth 
of  my  heart  in  my  younger  years. 

"  I  suppose  you  have  heard  that  I  am  endeavoring  to  estab- 
lish a  manual  labor  school  for  ladies.  I  have  heard  so.  But 
as  it  is  not  true,  I  wish  the  mistake  could  be  corrected.  I 
will  tell  you  what  I  should  be  glad  to  have  done.  You  know 
it  has  become  very  popular  for  our  highest  and  best  semina- 
ries for  young  men  to  be  moderate  in  their  expenses.  It  is 
not  a  sufficient  recommendation  for  a  college  to  be  expen- 
sive. But  how  different  is  it  with  regard  to  female  semina- 
ries !  Even  at  the  present  time,  almost  in  the  middle  of  the 
nineteenth  centuiy,  do  not  many  value  them  according  to 
their  expensiveness  ?  Is  it  not  rather  gratifying  to  young 
ladies  to  attend  expensive  schools,  when  perhaps  their  broth- 
ers would  rather  glory  in  pursuing  their  studies  at  a- moder- 
ate expense  ?  Is  there  not  a  general  feeling  that  female 
education  must  be  costly,  and  that  those  who  cannot  pay  the 
price  must  do  without  it  ?  Is  not  this  the  reason  why  ladies 
are  more  aristocratic  than  gentlemen,  and  why  their  aristoc- 
racy is  founded  on  so  much  more  despicable  principles  ? 
Would  it  not  be  a  less  evil  for  the  farmers  and  mechanics 
through  the  land,  who  must  spend  all  their  time  in  laboring 
to  support  their  families,  to  have  scanty  stores  of  knowledge, 
than  for  their  wives,  who  must  train  up  their  children,  to  be 
thus  scantily  furnished  ?  I  will  now  tell  you  what  I  wish 
could  be  done.  I  wish  the  same  public  interest  could  be  ex- 
cited to  extend  female  education  to  the  common  walks  of 
life  that  exists  with  regard  to  the  education  of  young  men. 
If  the  church  would  do  the  same  for  young  ladies  that  she 
has  done,  and  is  continually  doing,  for  young  men,  the  work 
would  be  accomplished.  O  that  the  church  would  take  our 
highest  female  seminaries  under  her  direct  control,  protec- 
tion, and  support !  And  do  you  not  believe  that  this  will  be 
done  at  some  future  time  ?  But  this  cannot  be  done,  unless 
means  are  used  to  secure  the  confidence  of  common  Christians. 


LETTER    TO    MISS   W.  199 

And  if  any  institution  should  ask  for  public  support, 
would  it  not  be  desirable  that,  in  some  particulars,  it  should 
present  certain  marked  features  which  would  be  approved 
by  common  Christians  ?  On  this  account,  I  have  thought 
that,  in  the  proposed  seminary,  it  would  be  well  to  have  the 
domestic  work  done  by  the  members,  not  as  an  essential 
feature  of  the  institution,  but  as  a  mere  appendage.  But 
this  mere  appendage  ought,  by  no  means,  to  give  the  name 
of  manual  labor  to  the  scheme.  I  have  not  the  least  faith 
in  any  of  the  proposed  kinds  of  manual  labor,  by  which  it 
is  supposed  that  females  can  support  themselves  at  school, 
such  as  raising  silk,  attending  to  grape-vines,  spinning,  sew- 
ing, &c.  I  skould  expect  that  any  attempt  of  the  kind 
would  become  a  bill  of  expense,  rather  than  an  income,  to 
any  female  seminary.  After  the  acquaintance  I  have  had 
with  many  cultivated  and  interesting  families,  where  the 
daughters,  in  a  systematic  manner,  performed  all  the  labor, 
I  have  the  greatest  confidence  that  a  system  might  be  formed, 
by  which  all  the  domestic  work  of  a  family  of  one  hundred 
could  be  performed  by  the  young  ladies  themselves,  and  in 
the  most  perfect  order,  without  any  sacrifice  of  improvement 
in  knowledge  or  of  refinement.  Might  not  this  simple  fea- 
ture do  away  much  of  the  prejudice  against  female  educa- 
tion among  common  people  ?  If  this  prejudice  could  by 
any  means  be  removed,  how  much  would  it  do  for  the  cause  I 
Some  of  the  specific  features  of  the  great  object  in  which  I 
am  engaged  will  seem  to  some  of  our  friends  like  new 
views,  different  from  my  former  ones.  Not  so  new  as  might 
seem ;  they  are  of  no  very  recent  date.  The  only  differ- 
ence is,  that  I  did  not  consider  it  expedient,  while  I  was  con- 
nected with  Miss  Grant  and  this  institution,  to  say  much 
about  these  views.  I  should  be  very  glad  to  see  you  a  day 
or  two,  and  talk  over  this  whole  subject." 

Miss  Lyon  remained  in  the  school  at  Ipswich  till  the  term 


200  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

was  finished,  but,  for  several  weeks  before  its  close,  her 
thoughts  and  energies  were  absorbed  in  her  scheme,  and 
it  was  evident  to  the  other  teachers  that  she  had  a  great 
work  before  her,  and  was  straitened  until  it  should  be 
accomplished.  Her  plans  during  the  summer  had  assumed 
a  definite  form,  and  she  was  fully  ready  to  commeno' 
her  prospective  labors.* 


SECTION    V. 

The  true  Principles  of  Success  discovered  and  applied. 

On  September  6,  1834,  a  few  gentlemen  met  in  Miss 
Lyon's  private  parlor,  in  Ipswich,  to  devise  ways  and  means 
for  founding  a  permanent  female  seminary,  upon  a  plan 
embracing  Miss  Lyon's  favorite  views  and  principles.  It  had 
been  suggested  that  the  first  movement  towards  the  object 
should  be  made  in  the  Essex  County  Teachers'  Association ; 
but  Dr.  Packard,  who  was  in  Ipswich  as  the  informal  repre- 
sentative of  his  part  of  the  state,  objected  that  in  such  bodies 
there  was  apt  to  be  much  talk  and  little  progress,  and 
suggested,  instead,  the  calling  of  a  meeting  of  a  few  friends 
of  education  for  the  purpose.     The  point  being  yielded  to 

*  '*  Miss  Grant,  after  Miss  Lyon  left  the  school  at  Ipswich,  con- 
tinued to  cherish  the  hope  of  obtaining  a  permanent  foundation 
there  ;  but  the  speedy  failure  of  her  health  disabled  her  from  assum- 
ing any  extra  labors  or  responsibilities,  and  after  a  few  years  com- 
pelled her  to  relinquish  the  idea  of  ever  again  imparting  instruction 
to  those  she  could  call  her  pupils.  As  the  lady  of  the  Hon.  William 
B.  Banister,  of  Newburyport,  she  is  now  enjoying  and  adorning  that 
circle  of  intelligence  and  worth  with  which  she  is  surrounded,  with 
the  grateful  respect  of  nearly  two  thousand  pupils,  who  owe,  as  it 
were,  their  own  selves  to  her  instruction  and  care."  —  Independeyd, 
May  3,  1849. 


THE    FIRST   THOUSAND   DOLLARS.  201 

his  judgment,  some  dozen  gentlemen,  of  known  benevo- 
lence and  candor,  were  invited  to  attend  the  proposed  meet- 
ing. Miss  Lyon  writes,  on  September  8th,  "  Dr.  Packard 
came  here  last  Wednesday  evening,  and  left  this  morning. 
We  talked  much  of  the  time,  for  three  days,  respecting  the 
proposed  seminary.  A  meeting  of  a  few  gentlemen  was 
held  on  Saturday,  and  Rev.  Drs.  Dana  and  Packard,  Pro- 
fessor Hitchcock,  Rev.  Mr.  Felt,  Mr.  George  W,  Heard,  Mr. 
David  Choate,  and  General  Howland  were  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  make  a  commencement,  and  go  on  (provided  they 
are  successful)  to  appoint  trustees,  &c.  A  circular  is  soon 
to  be  printed,  with  the  doings  of  the  meeting." 

The  committee  appointed  at  this  quiet  meeting,  which 
was  scarcely  known  to  twenty  persons  out  of  the  room 
where  it  was  held,  supplied  their  own  vacancies,  and  increased 
their  number  from  time  to  time,  as  the  progress  of  affairs 
required,  and  stood  before  the  public  as  the  responsible 
agents  for  establishing  the  proposed  seminary,  until,  a  char- 
ter having  beeh  obtained,  and  trustees  appointed,  their 
services  were  no  longer  needed.  Some  of  them  became 
trustees,  and  others  resigned  their  places  on  the  committee. 

The  first  contribution  towards  the  funds  of  the  projected 
seminary  was  also  made  in  Ipswich,  soon  after  the  meeting 
just  mentioned.  Miss  Lyon  proposed  to  raise  one  thousand 
dollars  from  ladies,  as  a  fund  for  the  contingent  expenses  of 
the  undertaking.  The  school  over  which  she  was  presiding 
had  been  accustomed,  once  or  twice  a  year,  to  unite  in  a 
contribution  to  some  one  of  the  leading  benevolent  societies. 
She  proposed  to  them,  on  that  occasion,  to  make  her  pro- 
jected seminary  the  object  of  their  charities.  A  free-will 
oflfering  of  two  hundred  and  sixty-nine  dollars  was  the  result. 
She  next  applied  to  the  ladies  in  Ipswich,  who  contributed 
four  hundred  and  seventy-five  dollars  more  towards  the  pro- 
posed thousand.  Miss  Lyon  hersplf  went  from  house  to 
house,  to  solicit  subscriptions.     The  Ipswich  ladies  have  a 


202  THE    GREAT    STKUGGLE. 

vivid  recollection  of  her  farewell  visits  that  autumn.  She 
represented  her  object  as  calling  the  most  loudly  for  aid,  be- 
cause, though  very  deserving,  it  was  the  most  unknown, 
unnoticed,  and  unappreciated  by  the  benevolent  community. 
She  talked,  now  with  the  lady  of  the  house,  now  with  the 
husband.  She  told  the  husbands,  in  a  very  good-natured 
but  earnest  way,  that  she  had  come  to  get  them  to  cut  off 
one  little  corner  of  their  estates,  and  give  it  to  their  wives 
to  invest  in  the  form  of  a  seminary  for  young  ladies.  She 
held  before  them  the  object  dear  to  her  heart  —  the  bi;inging 
of  a  liberal  education  within  the  means  of  the  daughters  of 
the  common  people,  till  it  loomed  up  to  them,  for  the  time, 
as  it  did  ever  before  her  eyes.  She  put  it  to  the  lady 
whether,  if  she  wanted  a  new  shawl,  a  card-table,  a  new 
carpet,  or  some  other  article  of  elegance  in  her  furniture  or 
wardrobe,  she  could  not  contrive  means  to  procure  it.  She 
spread  out  the  whole  subject,  talking  so  fast  that  her  hearers 
could  hardly  put  in  a  word,  anticipating  every  objection  be- 
fore it  was  uttered,  and  finally  appealing  to  their  individual 
humanity  and  benevolence.  She  uttered  no  falsehood ;  she 
poured  out  truth ;  she  offered  arguments  to  make  out  her  case ; 
and,  last  and  best  of  all,  she  carried  the  will  of  nearly  every 
person  with  whom  she  labored.  Ladies  that,  in  ordinary  sub- 
scriptions to  benevolent  objects,  did  well  to  put  down  their 
fifty  cents,  gave  her  five  or  ten  dollars  of  hard-earned  money, 
collected  by  the  slow  gains  of  patient  industry,  and  gave  it 
of  their  own  free  will,  yea,  gave  it  as  a  privilege  from  which 
they  would  not  have  been  willing  to  be  debarred.  They  paid 
it  on  the  spot,  grateful  that  it  had  come  to  their  hands  at 
such  a  time  as  that.  Every  dollar  of  that  money  was  well 
invested.  All  of  it  brought  her  a  hundred  per  cent.  It  was, 
as  Miss  Lyon  always  called  it,  the  corner  stone  of  that  noble 
edifice.  She  carried  the  story  of  the  liberality  of  those 
ladies  from  town  to  town.  Wherever  she  collected  the  ladies 
to  awaken  their  zeal  in  behalf  of  her   undertaking,  there, 


A    SUCCESSFUL    EFFORT.        ,  203 

with  her  impassioned  eloquence,  she  stirred  up  the  spirit 
of  emulation  by  holding  up  the  example  of  the  Ipswich 
ladies ;  and  in  the  next  two  years  those  five  talents  gained 
many  more. 

She  wrote  letters  to  former  pupils  of  the  Ipswich  school, 
soliciting  their  aid  in  making  up  this  contingent  fund.  She 
went  herself  to  ladies  with  whom  she  was  acquainted,  in  the 
towns  about  Ipswich,  and  invited  them  to  contribute  to  it. 
Such  was  her  perseverance,  that,  in  less  than  two  months, 
the  sum  was  very  nearly  raised.  It  was  a  pledge  of  her 
future  success.  She  used  to  say  that  it  was  a  thorough  com- 
mitment of  all  concerned  to  the  object.  The  special  effort 
to  raise  this  fund,  together  with  her  labors  in  school,  made  her 
almost  sick.  She  writes  to  Miss  Grant,  October  7,  "  I  do 
not  recollect  being  so  fatigued,  even  to  prostration,  as  I  have 
been  for  a  few  weeks  past,  since  I  have  been  connected  with 
the  institution,  except  during  your  sickness  in  1828,  and  a 
year  ago  last  spring.  The  school  business,  as  usual,  accu- 
mulated ;  the  business  relating  to  my  future  enterprise  hung 
in  suspense  all  summer,  and  then  required  nearly  a  week  of 
my  time  near  the  close  of  school,  besides  absorbing  much 
strength  of  intellect  and  of  the  inner  soul." 

When,  from  long  and  close  application.  Miss  Lyon  became 
brain-weary,  it  was  her  practice,  at  this  period  of  her  life, 
to  sink  voluntarily  into  a  state  of  partial  stupor  for  one,  two, 
or  three  days,  as  the  case  might  require,  keeping  her  bed 
most  of  the  tirtne,  and  taking  very  little  food.  From  such 
seasons  of  rest  she  would  come  forth  rejuvenated,  and  ready 
for  a  campaign  that  would  exhaust  any  body  else.  She 
could  arrive  at  that  state  in  which  she  seemed  to  lose  the 
power  of  stopping  the  wheels  of  thought.  This  seems  to 
have  been  the  case  just  before  her  final  sickness. 

Always  preferring  that  the  proposed  school  should  be  lo- 
cated in  the  central  or  western  part  of  the  state,  after  leav- 
ing Ipswich,  she  took  up  her  abode  for  the  winter  at  Amherst 


204  .       THE    GREAT   STRTTGGLE. 

She  attended  some  of  the  college  lectures,  and  reviewed  the 
natural  sciences,  that  she  might  be  the  better  fitted  to  super- 
intend the  education  of  her  future  scholars.  She  improved 
every  opportunity  that  offered  for  conversing  on  her  project 
with  the  intelligent  gentlemen  whom  she  met.  Whenever 
there  was  a  prospect  of  forwarding  her  plans  by  her  pres- 
ence in  any  other  part  of  the  state,  she  was  sure  to  be 
promptly  there.  Some  very  important  questions  were  set- 
tled that  fall  and  winter.  One  was,  whether  the  funds*  should 
consist  of  free  donations  or  of  proprietary  subscriptions.  Dr. 
Packard  devised  an  ingenious  plan,  with  many  guards  against 
abuses,  for  raising  funds  by  scholarships,  their  owners  to 
have  the  right  of  sending  scholars  at  less  expense  than  oth- 
ers. While  Miss  Lyon  saw  that  the  plan  would,. as  its  author 
contended,  open  purses  far  more  readily  than  a  call  for  free 
donations,  she  also  feared  that  it  would  be  attended,  in  future 
years,  with  many  perplexities.  Soliciting  Miss  Grant's  ad- 
vice on  the  subject,  she  says,  "  Dr.  Packard  has  said  to  me 
several  times  that  he  was  forming  a  screw,  composed  partly 
of  benevolence  and  partly  of  selfishness,  which  he  was  de- 
signing to  put  upon  the  purses,  and  which  he  was  confident 
would  draw  out  the  money ;  and  when  he  had  time,  he 
would  explain  it  to  me.  This  week  he  has  laid  it  before  me. 
We  have  talked  about  it,  most  of  the  time,  for  three  days. 
I  saw  objections  which  appeared  to  me  so  great,  that  I  doubt- 
ed whether  it  would  be  right  for  me  to  go  forward."  The 
plan  was  to  have  scholarships  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  dol- 
lars each,  to  be  owned  in  whole,  half,  or  quarter  shares,  the 
owner  or  owners  being  at  liberty  to  send  a  pupil  for  fifteen 
dollars  a  year  less  than  others.  After  much  free  and  friendly 
conference,  the  committee,  at  a  meeting  at  Ipswich  in  De- 
cember, at  which  Dr.  Packard  was  present,  decided  to  de- 
pend on  the  free-will  offerings  of  an  enlightened  public. 

The  question  of  location  was  settled  that  winter.     The 
towns  of  South  Deerfield,  Sunderland,  and  South  Hadley 


QUESTION    OF   LOCATION.  205 

each  offered  handsome  subscriptions,  if  the  seminary  might 
be  located  within  its  limits.  The  members  of  the  committee 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  places  were  of  different  opinions  on 
this  question.  The  gentlemen  in  Essex  county  —  Dr.  Dana, 
Mr.  Felt,  Mr.  Choate,  and  Mr.  Heard  —  held  the  balance  in 
the  meetings,  and,  from  their  residence,  as  well  as  their 
characteristic  candor,  they  were  not  likely  to  be  influenced 
by  local  considerations.  Miss  Lyon  was  intensely  interested 
in  these  questions,  but  she  left  them  to  the  committee  with 
satisfaction,  rejoicing  that  they  did  not  depend  on  her  voice. 
With  Mr.  Heard  she  had  held  more  conference  than  with 
any  other  man.  Evening  after  evening,  while  she  was 
connected  with  the  Ipswich  school,  she  had  spent  at  his 
house,  conversing  with  him  on  her  favorite  object.  He  and 
Mr.  Felt  both  went  to  the  Connecticut  River  region,  visited 
the  towns  in  question,  and  surveyed  the  ground  for  them- 
selves, in  order  to  be  able  to  give  an  intelligent  vote.  Mr. 
Choate,  but  for  imperative  illness,  would  have  done  the 
same.  Dr.  Dana  took  pains  to  inform  himself  through 
Messrs.  Heard  and  Felt  of  the  arguments,  and  generally 
was  present  at  the  meetings  of  the  committee  that  winter. 

A  meeting  of  the  committee,  at  which  South  Hadley  was 
fixed  upon  as  the  location  provided  the  subscription  there 
could  be  raised  to  eight  thousand  dollars,  was  held  at 
Worcester,  January  8,  1835.  It  was  the  wish  of  the  gen- 
tlemen that  Miss  Lyon  should  be  there,  that  they  might  be 
able  to  consult  her  in  the  course  of  the  meeting.  The  ther- 
mometer was  below  zero  on  the  night  when  she,  with  Mr. 
Hitchcock,  left  Amherst  in  the  stage  for  Worcester.  Having 
taken  some  warm  food  and  commended  themselves  to  God, 
they  took  their  seats  in  the  stage  some  three  or  four  hours 
before  sunrise,  each  wrapped  in  a  buffalo  robe.  Miss  Lyon 
said  she  never  suffered  less  from  a  journey  in  her  life.  From 
Worcester  she  wrote  to  Miss  Grant,  — 

"  Last  evening,  about  midnight,  Mr.  Felt  came  and  told 
18 


206  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

me  that  the  question  of  the  location  at  South  Deerfield  wag 
decided  in  the  negative.  My  heart  was  filled  with  gratitude 
to  Him  who  directs  all  events  according  to  his  own  infinite 
wisdom.  The  other  two  places  are  to  be  considered  to-day. 
Between  them  I  had  no  choice,  and  it  did  appear  to  me  that 
I  could  commit  the  whole  to  God  more  entirely  than  ever 
before.  The  decision,  as  Mr.  Heard  will  tell  you,  is  in  favor 
of  South  Hadley." 

The  location  being  fixed,  the  time  had  come  for  giving  a 
name  to  the  proposed  institution.  Some  articles  appeared,  not 
far  from  this  time,  from  the  pen  of  one  of  the  general  com- 
mittee, in  which  the  suggestion  was  made  that  it  should  be 
called  the  Pangynaskean  Seminary.  Though  the  term 
Pangynaskean  was  pure  Greek,  and  was  fully  explained  to 
designate  that  seminary  in  which  all  the  powers  of  woman  — 
physical,  intellectual,  and  moral  —  should  be  cultivated, 
those  who  were  hostile  to  the  enterprise  laid  hold  of  the 
name,  and  made  it  the  occasion  of  sarcastic  remark.  Some 
of  Miss  Lyon's  friends  were  afraid  that  the  excitement  about 
it  would  endanger  the  success  of  the  enterprise.  The  author 
intended  by  the  use  of  the  term  to  designate  the  leading 
features  of  the  proposed  school,  and  by  its  novelty  to  awaken 
the  public  attention.  Finding  he  had  done  this,  he  was  not 
alarmed  because  a  few  editors,  unfriendly  to  the  project, 
attempted  to  make  it  ridiculous.  Those  very  articles  did 
far  more  good,  in  one  single  case,  than  all  the  harm  that 
could  possibly  have  flowed  from  them.  They  fell  under  the 
eye  of  a  benevolent  lady  in  Connecticut,  and  enlisted  her 
sympathy  and  efforts.  In  the  providence  of  God,  she  soon 
after  became  united  to  a  gentleman  in  Boston,  of  liberal 
heart  and  means.  Miss  Lyon  had  heard  his  name,  and  had 
been  told  that  he  might  regard  her  undertaking  with  favor. 
A  gentleman  who  had  married  one  of  her  Buckland  scholars, 
and  who  is  now  a  professor  in  one  of  our  theological  semi- 
naries, commended  her  to  his  friendly  notice.     She  found 


LETTER   TO    HER    MOTHER.  207 

an  open  ear.  His  wife  opened  her  doors  and  her  heart  to  Miss 
Lyon  and  her  coadjutors.  When,  after  their  first  interview 
with  her,  this  gentleman  said  to  his  wife,  "  How  much  do  you 
think  I  had  better  give  to  Miss  Lyon,"  she  replied,  "  I  thought, 
perhaps,  you  would  give  five  hundred  dollars."  The  hus- 
band was  surprised  ;  but  he  slept  upon  the  subject,  and  re- 
joiced the  hearts  of  the  friends  of  the  cause  by  affixing  that 
sum  to  his  well-known  name.  It  was  the  first,  but  by  no 
means  was  it  the  last  five  hundred  dollars  which  he  gave  to 
that  cause.  The  time,  "influence,  and  sympathy  which  he 
and  his  partner  have  to  this  day  given  to  it,  have  been  worth 
more  than  thousands  of  silver  and  gold. 

Alluding  to  the  name  mentioned  above.  Miss  Lyon,  in  a 
letter  to  Miss  Grant,  says,  "  I  wish  a  little  could  be  said  to 
lead  that  part  of  the  community  who  would  attend  to  things 
and  not  to  words  only,  to  direct  their  attention  to  the  magni- 
tude of  the  object,  rather  than  to  one  undesirable,  temporary 
word,  and  to  lead  those  who  would  expend  their  zeal  in  pro- 
moting that  which  is  good  and  important,  and  not  in  opposing 
trifles,  to  spend  the  time  and  interest  they  have  to  spare  in 
aiding  the  great  cause  with  which  the  new  institution  is  con- 
nected, rather  than  in  opposing  and  ridiculing  the  mere  sug- 
gestion of  a  peculiar  name." 

The  next  letter  is  to  her  mother. 

"Amhekst,  April  2,  1835. 
"  My   VERY    DEAR    MoTHER  : 

"  I  would  be  glad  to  visit  you  this  spring  before  I  go  east, 
but  you  know  the  travelling  is  bad  ;  and  besides,  Professor 
Hitchcock  is  now  giving  a  course  of  lectures  on  geology, 
which  I  have  long  desired  to  attend,  and  I  have  thought  I 
ought  to  make  special  eflxjrts  to  hear  them.  They  are  given 
three  times  a  week,  and  I  have  been  able,  so  far,  to  attend 
every  lecture."  After  speaking  further  of  her  regret  at 
not  being  able  to  visit  her,  she  says,  "  I  have  been  to  Ipswich 


208  THRGEEAT    STKITGGLE. 

twice  this  winter.  The  last  time  I  staid  two  weeks.  There, 
I  have  enjoyed  much  that  relates  to  this  world,  and  much,  I 
hope,  that  relates  to  a  better.  There,  more  than  any  where 
else,  I  have  looked  out  upon  this  broad  and  wicked  world, 
till  my  heart  has  longed  that  laborers  might  go  forth  to  reap 
the  harvest,  which  is  already  ripe  for  gathering.  When  I 
have  there  looked  around  on  those  committed  to  my  care, 
how  has  my  heart  gone  forth  in  their  behalf,  that  they  might 
be  ready  to  do  with  their  might  what  their  hands  find  to  do  ! 

"I  often  feel  that  my  life  is  far  advanced,  and  that  I  can 
do  but  little  more  myself.  But  this  great  work  is  all  to  be 
done  through  human  instrumentality.  How  small  a  portion 
of  it  has  yet  been  done  !  O  that  I  might  do  a  little  more, 
before  I  depart  hence  !  But  my  greatest  hope  is,  that  I  may 
have  the  privilege  of  encouraging,  stimulating,  and  strength- 
ening some,  who  may  continue  to  labor  when  I  am  laid  in 
the  grave.  It  is  so  pleasant  for  me  to  go  to  Ipswich,  I  am 
rather  glad  that  I  occasionally  have  business  which  calls  me 
there.  But  it  awakens  many  tender  and  sad  emotions. 
Sometimes  I  fear  that  I  never  shall  have  another  field  of 
labor,  where  I  can  do  so  much  good.  But  if  the  Lord  has 
more  work  for  me  to  do  in  the  world,  he  will  provide  it  for 
me,  and  point  out  the  way. 

"  For  special  reasons,  I  think  it  best  to  keep  myself  disen- 
gaged from  any  school,  till  the  new  school  goes  into  opera- 
tion in  South  Hadley.  But  the  work  goes  forward  very 
slowly.  It  will  be  a  great  while  before  I  can  expect  the 
privilege  of  laboring  there.  Will  you,  my  dear  mother, 
pray  for  this  new  institution,  that  God  will  open  the  hearts 
of  his  children  in  its  behalf,  and  that  the  Spirit  of  God  may 
rest  on  its  future  teachers  and  pupils,  that  it  may  be  a  spot 
where  souls  may  be  born  of  God,  and  saints  quickened  in 
their  Lord's  service  ?  It  is  my  heart's  desire,  that  holiness 
to  the  Lord  may  be  inscribed  upon  all  connected  with  it,  and 
tlmt  a  succession  of  teachers  may  be  raised  up,  who  shall 


-       THE    INSTITUTION   NAMED.  209 

there  continue  to  labor  for  Christ  long  after  we  are  laid  in 
our  graves." 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"Amhebst,  April  8,  1835. 

"  I  have  been  thinking  whether  the  buildings  might  not 
be  commenced  this  summer,  laying  out  ten  or  twelve  thou- 
sand dollars,  on  such  a  plan  that  the  buildings  can  be  ex- 
tended when  more  funds  are  obtained.  Considering  the  field 
yet  to  be  gone  over,  would  it  not  do  to  presume  on  a  few 
thousand  dollars  ?  Would  it  not  do,  by  some  sacrifice,  to 
turn  what  is  subscribed  to  be  paid  in  future  years  into  ready 
money  ?  I  fear  to  let  the  present  season  pass  away  without 
having  any  thing  done  on  the  buildings,  lest  friends  may  be 
discouraged,  and  enemies  take  occasion  to  injure  the  cause. 
I  wish  Messrs.  Heard  and  Choate  would  look  at  this  subject, 
and  come  and  attend  the  meeting  next  Wednesday. 

"  It  seems  to  me  also  desirable,  that  every  important 
branch  of  the  business  should  be  committed  to  a  small  exec- 
utive, to  men  who  are  qualified  to  do  the  definite  things 
needed,  and  are  known  to  be  willing  to  work  for  this  cause. 
The  business  to  which  I  refer  is  finding  and  appointing 
agents,  devising  ways  and  means  of  raising  funds,  making 
arrangements  towards  building,  making  contracts,  obtaining 
plans,  &c." 

At  the  meeting  of  which  Miss  Lyon  speaks  in  the  pre- 
ceding letter,  the  contemplated  institution  received  the  name 
of  the  "  Mount  Holyoke  Female  Seminary." 

In  the  fall  of  1834,  while  Dr.  Packard  still  felt  a  father's 
zeal  and  interest  in  the  enterprise,  he  succeeded  in  enlisting 
in  its  behalf  Rev.  Mr.  Hawks,  of  Cummington.  One  even- 
ing in  November,  they  came  to  Amherst,  to  confer  with 
Miss  Lyon,  and  she  then  and  there  held  her  first  interview 
with  her  future  friend  and  co-worker.  He  helped  her  com 
bat  the  doctor  on  his  proprietary  plan.  He  was  then  a  young 
18* 


210  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE 

man,  and  happily  settled  ;  but  he  obtained  leave  of  absence 

from  his  people,  providing  them  a  supply  for  the  pulpit,  and 

engaged  for  a  few  months  in  an  agency  for  the  seminary. 

Under  about  the  same  date  as  the  last  extract,  she  says,  "  I 

am  very  well  satisfied  with  Mr.  Hawks.     The  query  begins 

to  arise   in  my  mind,  whether  early  efforts  should  not  be 

made  to  secure  his  services  for  the  summer.     This  matter 

ought  to  receive  the  immediate  attention  of  the  committee." 

He  was  continued  in  his  agency.     At  that  crisis,  when  it 

required  a  clear  eye  and  a  strong  heart  to  embark  in  the 

cause,  Mr.  H.  gave  himself  sincerely  to   its  advancement. 

Miss  Lyon  often  went  with  him  in  his  pilgrimages,  aiding  his 

arguments  with  her  presence  and  conversation.     From  the 

evening  in  which  they  met  at  Amherst  to  that  of  her  death, 

no  person  was  a  more  patient  listener  to  her  many  and  varied 

plans,  nor  a  more  efficient  co-worker  with  her  in  giving  these 

plans  life  and  form. 

"NoKTON,  May  19,  1835. 

"  My  dear  Miss  Grant  : 

"  I  am  not  fully  decided   about   my  manner  of  spending 

the  summer.     I  design  to  make  one  excursion,  which  will 

occupy  a  few  weeks,  to  visit  my  relatives,  to  visit  South 

Hadley,  Amherst,  Northampton,  and  some  other  towns  in 

the  vicinity  of  South  Hadley,  and  perhaps  some  in  Franklin 

county,  to  exert  an  influence  in  favor  of  our  cause.     I  think 

I  shall  take  this  excursion  about  the  time  of  commencement 

at  Amherst.     Considering  that  it  must  be  at  least  two  years 

before  I  can  commence  teaching  at  South  Hadley,  I  think  it 

is  best  to  spend  some  time  in  study,  though  I  should  not  think 

it  wise  at  my  age  to  give  up  active  labor  for  study.     The 

time  being  providentially  thrown  on  my  hands,  the  case  is 

different.     I  should  prefer  not  to  say  much  about  it,  because 

I  do  not  expect  to  make  much  progress,  or  to  retain  much 

of  what  I  gain  ;  but  much  more,  because  it  seems  ridiculous 

for  a  lady  of  forty  to  be  trying  to  make  over  her  education. 


THE    FIKST    SENIOR    CLASS.  211 

What  time  I  do  devote  to  study,  I  can  probably  take  much 
better  this  year  than  next,  and  I  can  find  no  better  place 
than  this.  Here,  no  one  inquires  what  I  am  doing,  or  how  I 
spend  my  time." 

Miss  Lyon  attended  the  "  General  Association  "  of  Massa- 
chusetts, which  met  at  Framingham  in  June  of  that  year, 
as  she  was  on  her  way  from  Norton  to  the  western  part  of 
the  state.  She  was  detained  a  few  days  at  Framingham. 
From  that  place  she  writes  to  Miss  C,  — 

"  Give  a  large  share  of  love  to  Miss  A.  from  me.  I  want 
to  see  her,  to  talk  with  her  about  the  good  which  she  can  do, 
by  being  a  member  of  the  school  the  first  year.  Ought  we 
not  to  ascertain  what  young  ladies  of  our  acquaintance,  who 
are  advanced  in  their  education,  intend  at  some  time  to  be- 
come members  of  the  institution,  and  lay  before  them  the 
good  that  they  would  do  by  joining  the  school,  the  very 
first  year.? 

"  I  have  been  sleeping  and  resting  since  I  have  been  here. 
I  wish  you  could  sleep  and  rest  as  much.  Do  tell  me  all 
about  your  frail,  mortal  tenement ;  and  may  your  soul  be  in 
health  and  prosper." 

By  Miss  Lyon's  private  efforts,  three  ladies  of  distinguished 
abilities  were  led  to  complete  their  school  education  at  the 
new  seminary  the  first  year.  Every  class  since  has  been 
several  times  as  large,  but  perHSps  no  one,  according  to  its 
numbers,  has  embraced  more  talent,  intelligence,  and  genu- 
ine self-denying  benevolence.  They  all  live  to  mourn  the 
departure  of  their  revered  instructress.  All  of  them  are  the 
wives  of  active  clergymen.  One  continues  in  the  Bay  State, 
one  dwells  in  the  Great  Western  Valley,  and  the  third 
sojourns  on  India's  sunny  plains. 

The  original  committee  of  seven,  who  had  been  appointed 


212  THE    GRKAT    STRUGGLK. 

at  the  first  meeting  in  Ipswich,  September  6,  1834,  added  to 
their  number,  from  time  to  time,  the  following  gentlemen: 
Rev.  Roswell  Hawks,  Rev.  William  Tyler,  Rev.  John  Todd, 
Rev.  Dr.  Joseph  Penney,  Rev.  Joseph  D.  Condit,  Mr.  Wii- 
liam  Bowdoin,  and  Mr.  Samuel  Williston.  The  committee 
held  a  meeting  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Williston,  in  Easthamp- 
ton,  on  June  10,  1835.  They  voted  to  invite  the  ladies  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  Connecticut  River,  in  Massachusetts,  to 
raise  a  thousand  dollars  towards  the  object,  and  to  address  a 
circular  to  the  friends  of  Christian  education.  The  follow- 
ing extracts  are  from  that  circular  :  — 

After  much  deliberation,  prayer,  and  correspondence,  the  friends  of 
tlie  Redeemer  have  determined  to  erect  a  school  for  the  daughters  of 
the  church,  the  object  of  wliich  shall  be  to  fit  them  for  the  highest  de- 
gree of  usefulness.  The  justly  celebrated  school  at  Ipswich  embraces 
the  principal  features  which  we  wish  this  to  possess.  We  will  state  the 
outlines  of  our  plan. 

1.  The  seminary  is  designed  to  be  permanent;  to  be  under  the 
guardianship  of  tliose  who  are  awake  to  all  the  interests  of  the  church. 
It  will  not,  under  God,  depend  upon  the  health  or  tlic  life  of  a  particu- 
lar teadier,  but,  like  our  colleges,  be  a  permanent  blessing  to  our  chil- 
dren, and  to  our  children's  children. 

2.  It  is  to  be  based  entirely  on  Christian  principles  ;  and  while  it  is 
to  be  furnished  with  teachers  of  the  highest  character  and  experience, 
and  to  have  every  advantage  which  the  state  of  female  education  in 
this  country  will  allow,  its  brightest  feature  will  be,  that  it  is  a  school 
for  Christ. 

3.  It  is  located  at  South  Hadley,  Massachusetts,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Connecticut,  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Holyoke,  in  the  centre  of  New 
England,  easy  of  access  from  ifll  quarters,  and  amid  the  most  lovely 
scenery.  In  selecting  the  location,  the  committee  had  in  view  centrali- 
ty,  retirement,  and  economy,  morality,  and  natural  scenery. 

4.  The  buildings  are  to  be  adequate  to  receive  and  board  two  hun- 
dred young  ladies. 

5.  It  is  designed  to- cultivate  the  missionary  spirit  among  its  pupils; 
the  feeling  that  they  should  live  for  God,  and  do  something  as  teachers, 
or  in  such  other  ways  as  Providence  may  direct. 

6.  The  seminary  is  to  have  a  library  and  apparatus  equal  to  its 
wants;   to  have  its  internal  arrangements  such  that  its   pupils   may 


CIRCULAR    TO    FRIENDS    OF    EDUCATION.        ^  213 

continue  to  practise  such  habits  of  domestic  economy  as  are  appropriate 
to  the  sex,  and  without  which  all  other  parts  of  education  are  purchased 
at  too  dear  a  rate. 

7.  The  seminary  is  to  be  placed  on  such  a  foundation  by  the  Chris- 
tian public,  if  they  sustain  our  views,  that  all  the  advantages  of  the 
institution  may  be  afforded  so  low,  as  to  be  within  the  reach  of  those 
who  are  in  the  middle  walks  of  life.  Indeed,  it  is  for  this  class  prin- 
cipally, who  are  the  bone  and  sinew  and  the  glory  of  our  nation,  that 
we  have  engaged  in  this  undertaking.  The  wealthy  can  provide  for 
themselves  ;  and  though  we  expect  to  offer  advantages  which  even  they 
cannot  now  command,  yet  it  is  not  for  their  sakes  that  we  erect  this  Chris- 
tian seminary,  and  thus  ask  the  funds  of  the  church.  In  regard  to  this, 
we  hope  and  expect  that  it  will  be  like  our  colleges,  so  valuable  that  the 
rich  will  be  glad  to  avail  themselves  of  its  benefits,  and  so  economical 
that  people  in  very  moderate  circumstances  may  be  equally  and  as 
fully  accommodated.  We  expect  that  distinctions  founded  on  such 
incidental  circumstances  as  wealth  will  not  find  a  place  within  its 
walls,  any  more  than  they  do  at  the  table  of  Jesus  Christ. 

8.  In  order  to  establish  such  a  seminary,  the  committee  believe 
that  the  Christian  public  must  be  invited  to  contribute  a  sum  not  less 
than  thirty  thousand  dollars.  While  every  thing  is  to  be  done  on  a 
scale  as  economical  as  possible,  yet  the  committee  feel  that  the  mate- 
rials and  work  should  all  be  the  first  of  their  kind.  Of  this  sum,  the 
village  of  South  Hadley  has  contributed  eight  thousand  dollars,  which, 
with  the  subscriptions  of  the  few  who,  in  addition,  have  been  invited  to 
contribute,  makes  the  sum  already  raised  about  one  third  of  the  amount 
specified. 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"June  29,  1835. 
"  Rev.  Mr.  Todd  requested  Rev.  Morris  White  to  endeavor 
to  bring  the  seminary  before  the  Massachusetts  Association 
of  Ministers,  and  to  obtain  some  resolves  in  its  favor.  He 
succeeded  in  presenting  it,  and  it  was  voted  to  appoint  a 
committee  of  five  to  report  on  the  subject.  Mr.  White  was 
not  included  in  this  committee,  and  probably  not  an  individ- 
ual, who  was  known  to  have  any  interest  in  the  object,  or  to 
understand  any  thing  about  it.  The  design  was  to  have 
some  resolves  passed,  and  perhaps  have  something  said  on 
the  subject.     At  the  meeting  of  the  committee,  one  objected 


214  THE    GKEAT    STKUGGLE. 

because  he  was  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  an  acad- 
emy ;  a  second  was  much  more  opposed,  and  Mr.  W.  was 
about  where  you  would  expect.  Mr.  M.,  a  quiet,  good  man, 
would  do  nothing  any  way ;  Mr.  C,  a  candid  man,  the 
youngest  of  the  five,  was  favorable  to  the  enterprise.  Mr. 
White  told  me  how  the  business  stood.  He  and  Mr.  C.  took 
it  into  their  hands  with  the  design  of  bringing  it  to  a  close  in 
some  way  not  injurious  to  the  object.  Mr.  White  saw  the 
committee  together  again,  and  told  them  that  he  only  wished 
to  have  some  general  resolves  passed,  recommending  the 
object,  but  as  they  were  opposed  to  it,  he  was  ready  to  with- 
draw the  proposition.  This  had  the  effect  of  bringing  them 
to  terms,  and  they  finally  reported  three  resolutions,  which 
were  carried  so  quick  as  to  allow  no  opportunity  for  a  word 
to  be  said,  if  any  one  had  been  disposed.  The  first  was  in 
favor  of  Christian  education  among  females,  the  second 
granted  that  sufficient  efforts  had  not  been  made,  the  third 
recommended  Mount  Holyoke  Female  Seminary,  and  any 
other  institution  which  designs  to  effect  a  similar  object." 

TO    HER    MOTHER    AND    SISTER. 

"  NOKTIIAMPTON,  Julj  23,   1835 

"  I  cannot  undertake  to  tell  you  where  I  have  been,  and 
what  I  have  been  doing,  since  I  last  saw  you.  I  seem  to  be 
ever  busy,  and  yet  I  accomplish  nothing.  I  wander  about 
without  a  home,  scarcely  knowing  one  week  where  I  shall 
be  the  next.  In  this  way,  I  expect  to  live,  at  least  until  one 
year  from  next  spring,  the  earliest  possible  time  that  our  new 
institution  can  open.  And  then,  I  may  only  make  a  change 
for  a  situation  of  overwhelming  cares.  But  I  have  no  doubt 
that  I  am  following  the  leadings  of  Providence.  His  deal- 
ings towards  this  new  enterprise  have  been  such  as  should 
lead  me  to  trust  wholly  in  the  Lord.  Every  token  of  success 
has  been  rather  strongly  marked  by  his  hand  ;  and  every 
trial  and  discouragement  have  been  such,  that  when  good 


LETTEIt   TO    MISS   GEANT.  215 

comes,  we  feel  constrained  to  say,  '  This  is  the  work  of  the 
Lord.' 

"  In  looking  back,  I  feel  that,  whatever  may  be  the  result, 
I  can  never  regret  that  these  things  were  not  directed  differ- 
ently. It  seems  to  me  more  and  more  that  this  institution, 
and  other  similar  ones,  are  a  necessary  part  of  the  great  sys- 
tem of  means  now  in  operation  for  the  conversion  of  the 
world.  When  I  look  abroad  and  see  how  much  abounds 
that  is  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  the  gospel,  I  sometimes  feel 
it  to  be  a  precious  privilege  to  pray,  '  Thy  kingdom  come  ; 
thy  will  be  done  on  earth,  as  it  is  done  in  heaven.'  What- 
ever we  are  permitted  to  do,  in  accordance  with  these  de- 
sires, is  a  precious  privilege.  The  feeble  efforts  which  I  am 
allowed  to  put  forth  in  cooperating  with  others,  in  laying  the 
foundation  of  this  new  seminary,  I  feel  will  probably  do  more  ^^ 
foiwne  cause  of  Christ  after  I  am  laid  in  my  grave,  than  all 
I  may  have  done  in  my  life  before.  Do  not  cease  to  pray 
for  this  seminary,  that  in  every  succeeding  age  it  may  be 
most  sacredly  the  Lord's ;  and  that  no  wicked  hand  may 
ever  be  allowed  to  turn  it  aside  from  its  consecration  to  the 
Redeemer." 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"Northampton,  July  24,  1835. 
"  How  vain  would  it  be  for  us  to  hope  by  our  present 
efforts  to  make  our  situation  more  comfortable  or  quiet ! 
We  have  every  reason  to  believe,  that  the  more  we  seek  to 
draw  the  public  to  aid  us  in  doing  good,  the  more  perplexing 
will  be  our  cares  and  labors.  But  then  we  shall  not  shrink 
from  this,  if  we  can  thus  lay  a  foundation  for  our  successors 
to  labor  abundantly  for  the  cause  of  Christ." 

In  August,  Miss  Lyon  went  to  Ipswich,  to  take  Miss  Grant's 
place  in  school,  while  the  latter  went  on  a  journey.  She 
writes  to  Miss  G., — 


216  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

"Ipswich,  August  23,  1835. 
"  My  dear  Miss  Grant  : 

"  I  now  feel  so  well,  that  I  am  trying  to  renew  my  feeble 
attempts  in  behalf  of  the  religious  interests  of  this  school, 
and  to  ascertain  the  character  and  wants  of  individuals,  both 
among  the  professedly  pious  and  those  not  so.  The  pros- 
pect, I  hope,  is  in  some  respects  a  little  more  favorable  than 
I  dared  express  in  my  last.  Yesterday  evening,  there  were 
not  quite  so  many  at  meeting  as  sometimes,  but  they  seemed 
to  keep  along  with  the  subject  with  unusual  attention,  and 
there  was  more  solemnity  than  at  any  other  time.  I  had 
before  endeavored  to  dwell  upon  the  unreasonableness  and 
criminality  of  ever  '  doing  wrong,'  or,  in  other  words,  of  sin. 
Last  evening,  I  dwelt  upon  the  suitableness  and  justice  of 
punishing  those  who  sin,  and  upon  the  nature  and  degree  of 
that  punishment  which  God,  who  knows,  has  decided  ^(fhe 
just  what  sin  deserves.  I  purpose  at  another  time  to  take  up 
the  way  of  escaping  punishment.  O  that  their  hearts  might 
be  opened  to  accept  of  pardon  in  this  wonderful  and  glorious 
way !  I  invited  those  to  come  to  my  room,  this  morning, 
who  could  decide,  in  external  things,  to  do  all  that  they  con* 
sidered  their  duty.  So  many  came,  (twenty-eight,)  that  I 
almost  feared  they  did  not  understand  me.  The  meeting 
was  solemn,  more  so  than  last  Sabbath  morning.  There 
were  so  many,  that  I  only  talked  to  them  all  together,  and  I 
had  some  thoughts  which  I  was  glad  to  communicate  to 
them." 

"South  Hadley  Canal,  October  1,  1835. 
"  My  dear  Miss  Grant  : 

"  I  expressed  in  my  last  a  very  earnest  request  that  you 
would  visit  us  next  week.  I  now  repeat  the  invitation  and 
urge  the  request.  I  wish  Mr.  Choate  could  be  here  one  day, 
or  a  part  of  a  day,  before  the  time  of  the  meeting.  Come 
yourself  directly  to  Rev.  Mr.  Gondii's.  Dr.  Penney  had 
simply  been  put  on  the  committee,  but  all  we  could  say  was, 


LETTER   TO    MISS    GRANT.  217 

that  he  was  a  general  friend.  He  has  on  his  hands  a  larger 
weight  of  gratuitous  business  than  most  other  ministers,  be- 
sides having  the  care  of  the  largest  church  in  the  United 
States.  And  he  has  been  abroad  a  part  of  the  summer  on 
account  of  his  health.  My  heart  almost  failed  me  as  to 
attempting  to  invite  his  attention  to  this  object,  but  as  I  sup- 
posed that  with  him  much  wisdom  existed  on  some  important 
particulars,  I  thought  it  best  to  try.  On  Monday,  Mr.  Tyler 
proposed  to  take  me  to  Northampton.  He  called  with  me 
at  Dr.  Penney's.  Mr.  Tyler  expressed  the  difficulties  he  felt 
on  account  of  Mr.  Todd's  absence.  Dr.  Penney  said  the 
business  ought  to  go  forward,  and  that  he  regarded  the  object 
as  very  important ;  but  that  he  knew  nothing  about  the  state 
of  the  business.  He  was  ready  to  enter  into  the  subject 
thoroughly,  and  devoted  his  whole  time  to  us  till  about  the 
miflile  of  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day.  He  inquired  defi- 
nitely what  had  been  done,  and  endeavored  to  point  out  the 
course  of  procedure  now.  He  convinced  Mr.  Tyler  that  it 
was  his  duty  to  go  forward  and  make  an  arrangement  for 
the  meeting  of  the  committee.  He  aided  him  in  deciding 
on  the  time  of  the  meeting,  in  laying  out  the  business,  and 
in  settling  what  was  to  be  done  beforehand.  I  have  decided 
to  stay  here  till  next  Monday  morning,  and  try  to  rest.  I 
have  had  much  solicitude,  because  I  could  see  no  way  in 
which  any  thing  was  to  be  done,  when  so  much  needed  to 
be  done.  But  1  am  greatly  relieved  for  the  present,  and  Mr. 
Tyler  about  as  much  as  I  am.  It  is  very  easy  to  converse 
with  Dr.  Penney.  A  child  would  feel  no  embarrassment  in 
consulting  him  in  the  most  familiar  manner.  Thus  a  kind 
Providence  has  caused  hght  to  shine  on  our  path  just  for  the 
present.  Mr.  Todd's  absence,  which  we  have  so  much  re- 
gretted, has  rendered  it  more  evident  to  Dr.  Penney  that  his 
aid  is  now  needed,  and  this  has  been  the  occasion  of  his  be- 
coming more  acquainted  with  the  particular  business  of  the 
institution." 

19 


218  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

TO    HER    SISTER. 

"Norton,  October  24,  1835. 
"  My  dear  Sister  : 

"  You  will  doubtless  be  glad  to  know  something  about  the 
Mount  Holyoke  Seminary.  The  work  goes  on  slowly.  I 
hope  they  will  be  able  to  commence  building  next  spring. 
We  have  much  to  trynur  faith,  and  much  to  excite  our  hopes. 
I  love  to  look  at  the  hand  of  Providence  as  connected  with 
this  enterprise.  With  howjnuch  wisdom  and  goodness  are 
trials  and  blessings  mingled  together  in  our  cup  !  The  work 
of  endeavoring  to  found  and  build  up  this  seminary  is  one 
which  I  trust  the  Lord  will  own  and  bless.  But  I  do  not  ex- 
pect that  it  will  be  carried  forward  as  on  flowery  beds  of  ease. 
This  I  have  never  asked.  I  only  ask  that  it  may  receive  the 
smile  of  Providence  in  that  way  which  shall  best  pronaote 
the  interests  of  the  great  cause  to  which  it  is  consecrHfied. 
I  hope  that  in  your  prayers  you  will  commend  this  enter- 
prise to  God." 

The  general  committee,  at  their  meeting,  October  7, 
invited  Miss  Grant  to  unite  with  Miss  Lyon  in  taking  charge 
of  the  contemplated  seminary.  Miss  Lyon  cordially  second- 
ed this  invitation.  While  Miss  Grant  had  the  matter  under 
consideration,  Miss  Lyon  addressed  to  her  the  following 
letter :  — 

"  October  27,  1835. 

"  I  have  thought  of  you  very  much  since  we  separated. 
I  greatly  fear  that  the  trying  questions  which  are  now  taxing 
your  mental  energies,  besides  the  care  of  the  school,  just 
now  at  the  commencement,  will  be  more  than  you  can  sus- 
tain. May  the  Lord  give  you  strength  equal  to  your  wants, 
and  may  he  give  you  wisdom  from  on  high  to  guide  your 
thoughts,  and  your  views,  and  your  present  important  de- 
cisions. When  all  human  help  and  human  wisdom  fail, 
and  all  knowledge  of  future  events,  as  connected  with  present 


LETTER   TO    MISS    GRANT.  219 

causes,  seems  entirely  cut  off,  how  sweet  it  is  to  go  to 
One  who  knows  all  from  beginning  to  end,  to  One  who  can 
direct  our  very  thoughts,  and  who  can  take  us  individually 
by  the  hand  and  lead  us  in  a  plain  path !  Every  thing  ap- 
pears to  me  dark  with  Egyptian  darkness,  except  as  I  turn 
my  thoughts  to  Him  who  is  the  fountain  of  light.  I  dare 
not  pray  for  any  thing  in  particular,  but  only  that  the  will  of 
the  Lord  may  be  done,  that  all  interested  in  this  institution 
may  be  humble  and  submissive,  that  his  will  towards  this 
enterprise  may  be  done,  as  it  is  done  toward  those  on  whom 
he  smiles,  and  not  as  it  is  done  toward  those  whom  he 
chastens  and  afflicts.  My  daily  language  is,  '  Lord,  thou 
knowest ;  not  my  will,  but  thine,  be  done.' 

"  How  often  have  I  endeavored  to  consecrate  all  the  part, 
all  the  interest  which  God  has  given  me  in  this  contemplated 
institution,  most  sacredly  and  solemnly  to  his  service  !  and 
how  often  have  I  endeavored  to  pray  that  no  one  who  has 
any  thing  to  do  in  building  it  up  may  ever  call  aught  his 
own !  O  that  every  one  who  puts  a  finger  to  the  work,  by 
giving  the  smallest  contribution  of  time,  of  money,  or  of 
influence,  might  feel  that  this  is  a  work  of  solemn  consecra- 
tion, a  work  to  be  reviewed  in  the  light  of  eternity  !  For  a 
few  weeks  past,  I  have  thought  a  little  too  much  about  gain- 
ing the  approbation  of  the  wise  and  good,  as  compared  with 
my  desires  that  every  thing  connected  with  it  may  receive 
the  approbation  of  God." 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"Amherst,  December  23,  1835. 
"  My  very  dear  Sister  : 

"  It  is  sweet  to  review  our  past  years,  the  time  of  our  first 
acquaintance,  the  commencement  of  our  connection,  and 
the  many  years  we  spent  so  delightfully  together,  and  in 
some   degree,  as  I  hope,  profitably  to  the   best  of  causes. 


5J20  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

When  I  look  back  and  compare  my  own  views  and  feelings, 
fifteen  years  ago,  with  what  they  are  now,  I  am  constrained 
to  believe  there  has  been  a  very  great  change.  Compara- 
tively, it  does  seem  to  me  now  a  great  privilege  to  live  and 
labor  for  the  cause  of  Christ  in  any  place,  and  under  any 
circumstances,  where  He  may  direct;  and,  if  possible,  a 
still  greater  privilege  to  lead  others  to  attempt  and  to  do 
more  than  I  can  ever  myself  accomplish.  It  seems  to  me, 
uniformly,  as  if  my  strength  was  mostly  spent,  and  my 
years,  a  great  proportion  of  them,  gone.  But  if  I  may  be 
permitted  to  do  something  more,  it  will  be  indeed  a  great 
privilege.  In  this  respect,  life  seems  to  me  a  greater  and 
greater  blessing. 

"  I  anticipate  trials  in  future,  such  as  I  have  never  yet 
known.  I  expect  them,  from  indications  of  Providence 
already  manifested  toward  the  enterprise  in  which  I  am  en- 
gaged. Sometimes  my  heart  and  spirits  seem  to  sink  under 
the  prospect,  and  I  am  almost  ready  to  exclaim,  '  When  will 
the  work  of  my  feeble  hands  be  done,  that  I  may  go  home? ' 
But  through  the  mercy  of  God,  these  seasons  do  not  often 
occur,  and  do  not  continue  long.  Generally,  I  feel  that  the 
dark,  portentous  cloud  which  hangs  over  the  future  is  under 
the  direction  of  Him  who  led  his  chosen  people  by  a  pillar 
of  cloud  and  of  fire.  I  do  hope  that  in  some  way  the  re- 
mainder of  my  life  may  be  instrumental  of  more  good  than 
my  past  life  has  been,  though  it  may  be  in  a  manner  very 
different  from  what  I  anticipate.  The  years  which  I 
have  had  the  privilege  of  spending  with  you  have  done 
more  to  fit  me  to  enjoy  so  great  a  blessing  than  almost  all 
other  circumstances.  Such  a  view  gives  a  peculiar  sweet- 
ness to  the  remembrance. 

"  Have  you  seen  Dr.  Channing  on  Slavery.?  Really,  I  did 
not  know  that  he  had  such  a  great  soul,  so  much  of  the  noble 
spirit  of  former  days,  composed  of  mildness  and  decision. 


DS.  CHANNING  ON  SLAVERY.  221 

He  deals  in  great  principles,  instead  of  that  personality  which 
is  the  order  of  the  day.  In  seeking  after  truth,  it  is  delightful 
now  and  then  to  come  to  a  stream  which  we  can  recognize 
as  flowing  from  the  great  fountain,  and  which  has  not  been 
subdivided  into  endless  ramifications,  till  we  forget  that  there 
is  any  fountain-head  ;  or,  to  speak  without  a  figure,  till  we 
forget  that  there  are  any  great  principles,  on  which  we  can 
rest  unshaken  amid  all  the  clashing  of  opinions  and  senti- 
ments. Dr.  Channing  has  a  suitable  word  of  reproof,  alike 
in  season  for  the  south,  in  their  present  excited  and  threaten- 
ing attitude,  for  the  abolitionists,  in  their  furious  and  mis- 
guided zeal,  and  for  the  anti-ultras,  who,  in  their  prudence 
and  caution,  are  in  danger  of  making  concessions,  tacitly  at 
least,  which  are  suited  to  endanger  our  first  principles  of 
duty,  rather  than  hazard  the  odium  of  being  called  by 
some  one  ultra,  and  of  being  claimed  by  some  of  the  ultra 
parties.  This  last  class  need  reproof,  perhaps,  as  much  as 
either  of  the  others,  though  in  different  degrees.  And  from 
this  class  we  have  more  fear  that  truth  will  suffer  than  from 
any  other.  I  lament  most  deeply  the  havoc  which  mis- 
guided zeal  is  now  making  with  the  dearest  interests  of  our 
country  and  the  church ;  but  should  this  fire  sweep  over  the 
whole  country,  consuming  all  that  is  combustible,  the  soil 
will  be  left,  the  foundation  will  be  unshaken.  But  I  dread 
to  have  the  foundations  broken  up.  I  dread  to  have  those 
who  are  the  stability  of  the  times  driven,  by  the  scarecrow 
of  ultraism,  from  .tiieir  high  post  in  defence  of  truth,  the 
rights  of  man,  and  the  duties  of  the  church.  Dr.  Chan- 
ning's  reproofs  must  come  down  with  great  weight  on  every 
conscience  that  puts  on  the  coat  so  finely  fitted.  How  much 
more  heavily  will  reproofs  bear  upon  the  conscience,  which 
come  from  great  principles,  than  those  captious  fault-findings 
which  fill  many  of  our  newspapers!  I  am  delighted  with 
the  spirit  in  which  this  book  is  written." 
19* 


222  THE    GREAT    STETTGGLE. 

TO    MISS    CALDWELL. 

"January  11,  1836. 
"In  C.  I  visited  the  family  of  Mr.  A.,  who,  probably, 
during  the  past  twenty  years,  has  given  more  to  benevolent 
objects,  in  proportion  to  his  property  and  family,  than  any 
other  man  in  New  England.  I  was  delighted  with  their 
godly  simplicity,  their  systematic  mode  of  benevolent  action, 
and  their  well-balanced  views  of  things." 

In  C.  Miss  Lyon  visited  two  maiden  sisters,  (the  Misses 
M.,)  who  were  living  comfortably  on  some  property  left  them 
by  an  honored  brother.  Out  of  their  moderate  means,  they 
subscribed  one  hundred  dollars  each  to  the  object.  Owing 
to  circumstances  which  they  could  neither  foresee  nor  con- 
trol, they  soon  after  lost  their  property  ;  but,  rather  than  be 
denied  the  luxury  of  helping  the  good  work,  they  labored 
with  their  own  hands,  and  earned  the  money  to  meet  their 
subscription  as  it  became  due.  With  such  money  was  the  in- 
stitution built.  With  the  prayers  of  these  and  kindred  spirits 
was  every  stone  and  every  brick  consecrated  to  the  Lord. 

The  act  of  incorporation  passed  both  houses  of  the  state 
legislature  February  10,  1836,  and  was  signed  by  the  gov- 
ernor the  next  day.  The  instrument  named  as  trustees 
Messrs.  William  Bowdoin,  John  Todd,  Joseph  D.  Condit, 
David  Choate,  and  Samuel  Williston,  and  empowered  them 
to  hold  real  and  personal  estate,  not  exceeding  in  value  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars,  to  be  devoted  exclusively  to  pur- 
poses of  education. 

On  March  2,  the  trustees  met  at  South  Had  ley.  They 
accepted  the  act  of  incorporation,  added  Rev.  William  Tyler 
and  Rev.  Roswell  Hawks  to  the  board,  elected  officers  of 
the  board,  appointed  an  executive  committee  from  their 
number,  and  took  measures  for  obtaining  plans  and  esti- 
mates  for  carrying   forward  the  contemplated  operations. 


LETTER    TO    MISS    CALDWELL.  223 

On  the  13th  of  the  following  month,  the  trustees  met 
again  in  South  Hadley.  In  reference  to  the  meeting  of  the 
13th  April,  Miss  Lyon  writes  from  Boston,  April  25th, — 

"  The  late  meeting  of  the  trustees  at  South  Hadley  was 
as  favorable  as  could  be  expected.  A  committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  attend  to  the  preparations  towards  building,  and 
more  general  responsibility  was  committed  to  Mr.  Hawks 
than  heretofore.  Mr.  Joseph  Avery,  of  Conway,  was  added 
to  the  trustees.  At  an  adjourned  meeting  at  Northampton, 
on  the  19th,  Deacon  Andrew  W.  Porter,  of  Monson,  was 
appointed  a  trustee.  We  have  had  our  eye  on  him  for 
some  time.  He  has  had  more  experience  in  superintending 
workmen  and  in  putting  up  buildings  than  any  one  on  our 
board.  Benevolent,  disinterested,  and  of  sound  judgment,  he 
is  also  one  of  the  first  of  accountants.  He  is  an  acquaintance 
of  Mr.  Tyler,  and  at  South  Hadley  Mr.  T.,  with  Mr.  Hawks 
and  myself,  agreed  to  meet  at  Monson  the  next  day.  When 
we  reached  Monson,  the  gentleman  we  went  to  see  was  ab- 
sent, not  to  return  till  Saturday  night,  and  on  this  account  I 
did  not  leave  Monson  till  the  following  Tuesday.  I  was 
much  interested  in  my  visit  there.  Both  Mr.  P.  and  his  wife 
can  look  at  our  cause. 

"  I  have  been  endeavoring  to  ascertain  whether  we  can 
depend  on  Mr.  and  Mrs.  SafFord's  firm  support,  whenever  it 
is  desirable  to  bring  our  cause  up  here.  The  Lord  is,  I  be- 
lieve, inclining  their  hearts  in  our  favor." 

The  three  gentlemen  alluded  to  in  the  preceding  letter 
entered  fully  into  Miss  Lyon's  plans,  became  trustees  of  the 
seminary,  and  were  as  active  in  promoting  its  interests  as 
though  it  had  been  their  own  private  business.  The  first 
named  gave  for  several  years  much  of  the  surplus  revenue 
of  his  rock- bound  but  productive  farm  to  the  good  work  in 
which  she  was  employed.  Like  Miss  Lyon,  he  could  not 
endure  to  see  a  mill  of  the  sacred  funds  of  the  institution 
spent  for  a  fruitless  purpose.     When,  on  one  occasion,  a 


224  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

plan  had  been  purchased  of  an  artist,  at  an  artist's  price, 
which,  as  Miss  Lyon  thought,  was  not  available  for  her  pur- 
pose, the  bill  was  voluntarily  met  from  his  own  purse,  in 
addition  to  his  large  subscription.  It  was  a  kind  deed,  which 
gave  Miss  Lyon  great  satisfaction.  Her  private  funds  had 
suffered  many  drafts,  and  were  ill  able  at  that  time  to  bear 
another. 

Mr.  Porter,  for  several  months,  left  his  own  extensive  and 
lucrative  business  to  the  oversight  of  others,  and  went  every 
Monday  morning  in  his  own  carriage  to  South  Hadley,  and 
there,  till  the  sunset  of  Saturday,  gave  his  financial  skill 
and  rare  business  abilities  to  overseeing  the  erection  of  the 
seminary  building.  It  was  in  his  hospitable  mansion  that 
she  spent  her  very  last  season  of  rest,  and  refreshed  her 
soul  for  the  heavenly  employments  on  which  she  was  so 
soon  to  enter. 

To  no  one  is  the  institution  more  indebted  for  pecuniary 
aid  than  to  the  friends  of  whom  she  said,  in  the  last  letter, 
"  The  Lord  is,  I  believe,  inclining  their  hearts  in  our  favor." 
But  for  the  cooperation  of  these  men,  we  cannot  see  how 
the  enterprise  could  have  gone  forward.  Who  can  doubt 
that  the  Lord  helped  her  to  find  them,  and  to  set  her  object 
before  them,  and  inclined  their  hearts  and  minds  to  receive 
and  understand  the  complicated  plans  of  a  woman  so  unlike 
all  other  women  they  had  ever  met  ?  It  was  to  herself  a 
providential  interposition  that,  at  a  crisis  when  many  wise 
men,  even  in  the  church,  could  not  comprehend  her  plans, 
and  assist  in  their  execution,  such  men  as  these  lent  her 
their  efficient  aid. 

TO    MISS    CALDWELL. 

"Boston,  May  24,  1836. 
"  When  I  was  last  in  Boston,  I  thought  it  best  that  Mr. 
Hawks  should  come  here  this  week,  hoping  that  something 
might  be  done  for  our  cause.     But  the  times  grow  worse 


LETTER  TO  MISS  C.  E.  BEECHER.  225 

and  worse,  and  doing  any  thing  now  is  entireiy  out  of  the 
question.  I  know  not  where  I  am  going  to  be,  nor  what  I 
am  going  to  do.  '  Take  no  thought  for  the  morrow  '  comes 
to  me  often  with  force.  I  seem  continually  to  know  less 
and  less  about  the  future." 

TO    MISS    C.    E.    BEECHER. 

"July  1,  1836. 

"  I  thank  you  for  your  interest  in  my  plans,  expressed  in 
the  sincere  way  of  criticism  on  one  point.  I  think,  however, 
you  do  not  fully  understand  them. 

"  The  terms  high,  low,  and  moderate  tuition  mean  very 
diiferent  things  in  different  parts  of  the  country.  In  the 
aristocratic  south,  where  all  the  wealth  is  concentrated  on 
large  plantations,  and  in  some  of  the  speculating  portions  of 
the  north,  where  wealth  flows  in  as  in  a  day,  and  in  some 
of  the  most  prosperous  mercantile  and  manufacturing  places, 
these  terms  are  understood  differently  from  what  they  are 
,among  the  general  community  of  New  England.  The 
latter,  tilling  a  sterile  soil,  and  uniting  economy  with  pru- 
dence, are  enabled,  by  the  slow  gains  of  patient  industry,  to 
provide  comfortably  for  their  children,  and  send  them  to 
school  in  their  own  neighborhoods,  to  sustain  the  ordinances 
of  the  gospel,  and  to  reserve  something  to  be  cast  into  the 
treasury  of  the  Lord,  in  order  to  send  the  gospel  to  the 
heathen,  to  raise  up  ministers,  to  build  up  colleges  and  sem- 
inaries at  the  west,  and  to  supply  the  destitute  of  our  own 
land,  who  are  less  able  or  less  willing  than  themselves,  with 
the  sacred  ministry. 

"  Our  plan  is  to  place  tuition  at  what  will  be  regarded  by 
the  New  England  community,  including  the  wealthy  and  the 
educated,  with  farmers  and  mechanics,  as  moderate  tuition. 

Here  I  would  have  you  distinctly  understand  that  we  do 
not  adopt  this  standard  because  we  consider  ourselves  under 
any  obligation  to  man  so  to  do.     Neither  do  we  consider  it 


226  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

necessary  that  other  institutions  should  adopt  the  same 
standard,  or  that  this  institution  should  certainly  abide  by  it 
evermore,  though  at  present  it  is  essential  to  our  success. 

"  I  have  not  been  alone  in  considering  it  of  great  impor- 
tance to  establish  a  permanent  seminary  in  New  England  for 
educating  female  teachers,  with  accommodations,  apparatus, 
(fee,  somewhat  like  those  for  the  other  sex.  Honorably  to 
do  this,  from  twenty  to  forty  thousand  dollars  must  be  raised  ; 
and  such  a  sum,  raised  for  such  an  object,  would  form  almost 
an  era  in  female  education.  For  years.  Miss  Grant  and 
myself  made  continual  efforts  to  accomplish  the  object ;  but 
all  our  efforts  failed. 

"  I  am  convinced  that  there  are  but  two  ways  to  accomplish 
such  an  object.  First,  to  interest  one,  two,  or  a  few  wealthy 
men  to  do  the  whole  ;  second,  to  interest  the  whole  New 
England  community,  beginning  with  the  country  population, 
and  in  time  receiving  the  aid  and  cooperation  of  the  more 
wealthy  in  our  cities.  Each  of  these  modes,  if  practicable, 
would  have  its  advantages.  The  first,  if  done  at  all,  could 
be  done  sooner  and  with  very  little  comparative  labor.  The 
second  would  require  vastly  more  time  and  labor ;  but  if  it 
were  accomplished,  an  important  and  salutary  impression 
would  be  made  on  the  whole  of  New  England.  Having 
adopted  this  second  course,  we  have  been  for  some  time 
going  forward  with  as  much  success  as  we  could  expect. 
We  have  enlisted  for  the  work.  I  have  regarded  it  as  a 
work  for  life.  In  laying  our  plans,  we  examined  carefully 
every  step.  In  the  commencement  of  any  great  enterprise, 
the  community  often  are  not  prepared  to  act  upon  the  most 
important  considerations,  when  they  can  be  moved  by  less 
important,  but  more  tangible,  circumstances.  During  my 
long  but  fruitless  efforts  in  connection  with  Miss  Gram,  I 
became  convinced  that  the  community  were  not  disposed  to 
appreciate  the  most  important  advantages  of  an  institu- 
tion thus  endowed,  such  as  its  superior  character  and   its 


LETTER  TO  MISS  C.  E.  BEECHER.  227 

permanency.  I  was  also  convinced  that,  to  give  the  first 
impulse  to  this  work,  something  must  be  presented  which  is 
more  tangible,  and  of  real,  though  of  less,  value,  and  bo 
made  to  stand  out  in  bold  relief.  For  this  purpose,  we  have 
chosen  the  reduction  of  expenses,  as  compared  with  other 
large  seminaries,  not  aided  by  the  public.  Every  step  we 
take  proves  it  a  good  selection.  We  carefully  avoid  all  ex- 
travagant statements  ;  indeed,  we  usually  state  only  general 
facts,  leaving  each  to  make  his  own  estimate  and  draw  his 
own  conclusions.  There  is  an  expectation  that  economy 
will  be  practised  in  the  establishment,  and  that  the  funds, 
gathered  by  little  and  little,  will  be  reserved  for  the  good  of 
the  institution,  and  not  for  private  emolument,  and  that  there 
will  be  such  a  reduction  of  expense  as  the  nature  of  the 
case  will^allow.  Here  is  our  pledge,  and  we  must  redeem 
it.  In  doing  this,  the  first  object  to  be  gained  is  good  man- 
agement in  the  boarding  department.  Let  that  be  secured, 
and  all  else  will  be  sure  to  follow.  I  do  not  expect  to  have 
the  direct  care  of  the  boarding  department,  but  I  hope  to 
secure  the  cooperation  of  persons  skilled  in  domestic  econ- 
omy, and  disposed  to  use  their  skill  faithfully  for  the  great 
cause.  The  department  of  instruction,  including  tuition,  I 
expect  to  superintend  myself;  and  it  is  essential  to  success 
in  the  boarding  department  that  I  should  set  an  example  of 
economy  in  my  own.  Unless  I  do,  I  cannot  lift  up  my  head 
in  efforts  to  exert  an  influence  on  this  point  in  every  other 
department.  I  do  not  mean  to  ask  any  other  one  connected 
with  the  institution  to  make  such  sacrifices  as  I  can  cheer- 
fully make.  This  may  not  be  necessary  for  my  successor, 
but  it  is  necessary  in  my  case,  at  least  for  a  few  years. 

"  Again,  we  have  held  up  to  New  England  people  the 
advantages  of  a  teachers'  seminePry,  with  ample  facilities  for 
boarding  and  instruction,  free  of  rent,  of  so  superior  a  char- 
acter that  a  supply  of  scholars  could  be  secured  without 
receiving  those  who  were  immature  and  ill  prepared,  and 


228  THE   GREAT   STRUGGLE. 

who  are  always  a  heavy  tax  on  the  time  of  teachers.  We 
have  shown  that  the  same  money  will,  in  this  way,  do  more 
to  provide  instruction  for  young  women  qualifying  them- 
selves  to  teach,  than  it  would  do  in  our  country  academies. 
After  these  professions,  shall  we  ask  for  higher  tuition,  at 
the  same  time  that  we  are  asking  for  benevolent  aid  to  carry 
forward  our  enterprise  ? 

"Thus  I  do  feel  confident  that  we  must  retain  our  plan 
for  tuition,  or  abandon  the  enterprise.  But  we  must  not  give 
up  the  work.  To  indulge  even  a  fear  as  to  our  final  suc- 
cess, would  be  a  cruel  distrust  of  the  kindest  Providence. 
While  I  do  not  consider  ourselves  under  any  obligation  to 
man,  we  are  under,solemn  obligations  to  God,  to  adopt  this 
course.  We  are  compelled  by  the  principles  of  expediency, 
so  beautifully  exhibited  in  the  precepts  and  practice  of  the 
apostle  Paul.  If  any  injury  should  result  to  the  cause  of 
education  from  our  adopting  this  moderate  standard  of  tui- 
tion, it  will  be  as  nothing  compared  with  the  great  good  to 
be  accomplished  ;  less  far  than  the  injurious  results  of  Paul's 
example,  on  the  support  of  the  gospel  ministry,  which 
results  he  so  carefully  guards  against  in  the  ninth  chapter 
of  1  Corinthians. 

"  I  express  myself  with  more  confidence  on  this  subject, 
because  it  has  been  with  me,  for  two  or  three  years,  a  mat- 
ter of  careful  consideration  ;  but  further,  because  our  labo- 
rious and  indefatigable  agent  is  of  the  same  opinion,  and  all 
his  intercourse  with  New  England  people  has  tended  to  con- 
firm it.  Having  been  wholly  devoted  to  the  enterprise  for  a 
year  and  a  half,  he  probably  knows  more  of  the  views  of 
the  New  England  community  on  this  point  than  any  hundred 
others.  Careful  in  all  his  movements,  he  never  has  occa- 
sion to  retrace  a  single  stefp.  Whatever  may  be  thought  of 
my  sanguine  temperament,  he  cannot  be  charged  with  being 
over-zealous.  But  his  deficiency  in  zeal  is  more  than  made 
up  by  his  unwearied  labors,  his  never-ending  patience  and 


,  LETTER   TO   MISS   GEANT.  229 

perseverance,  his  sound  common  sense,  his  careful  observa- 
tion of  human  nature,  and  his  intimate  acquaintance  with 
New  England  people. 

"  You  speak  of  the  importance  of  raising  the  compensa- 
tion of  teachers.  In  a  list  of  motives  for  teaching,  I  should 
place  first  the  great  motive,  which  cannot  be  understood  by 
the  natural  heart.  Love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.  On  this 
list,  though  not  second  in  rank,  I  have  been  accustomed  to 
place  pecuniary  considerations.  I  am  inclined  to  the  opinion 
that  this  should  fall  lower  on  a  list  of  motives  to  be  presented 
to  ladies  than  to  gentlemen,  and  that  this  is  more  in  accordance 
with  the  system  of  the  divine  government.  Let  us  cheer- 
fully make  all  due  concessions,  where  God  has  designed  a 
difference  in  the  situation  of  the  sexes,  such  as  woman's  re- 
tiring from  public  stations,  being  generally  dependent  on  the 
other  sex  for  pecuniary  support,  &c.  O  that  we  may  plead 
constantly  for  her  religious  privileges,  for  equal  facilities  for 
the  improvement  of  her  talents,  and  for  the  privilege  of  using 
all  her  talents  in  doing  good  !  " 

September  6th,  she  writes  to  Miss  Grant,  "  I  have  very 
much  wanted  to  know  whether  Mr.  H.  would  exert  any  influ- 
ence in  our  behalf  in  Boston.  When  I  came  from  Norton 
last  week,  I  thought  it  best  to  come  through  Boston  and  test 
the  question.  I  cannot  tell  you  how  much  1  dreaded  it.  I 
sent  a  line  to  him,  asking  his  advice  in  such  a  manner  that  I 
knew  he  would  not  give  it,  unless  he  would  also  give  his  aid. 
I  mentioned  that  I  should  call  directly  after  dinner,  and  that 
I  was  to  leave  the  city  at  four.  I  called.  His  look,  and 
his  manner  of  shaking  hands,  left  no  doubt  what  would  be 
the  issue.  I  spent  a  little  while  conversing  on  the  subject, 
when  he  told  me  that  he  could  not  give  me  advice,  as  he 
could  not  go  forward  in  this  object.  He  said  he  felt  himself 
pledged  to  aid  the  Ipswich  school,  and  that  he  did  not  con- 
sider it  his  duty  to  engage  in  our  enterprise.  I  do  not  know 
20 


230  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE.  • 

whether  he  designed  to  be  understood  that  he  would  not  con- 
tribute to  it,  or  only  that  he  would  not  take  any  responsibil- 
ity about  it.  I  asked  him  whether  there  was  any  objection 
to  my  saying,  that  the  reason  he  could  not  engage  in  this 
was,  that  he  was  pledged  to  Ipswich.  He  replied  that  it 
was  the  truth,  and  that  he  felt  no  objection  to  its  being 
stated.  I  came  away  with  mingled  emotions.  I  felt  as  if  I 
had  undergone  a  severe  operation.  On  the  whole,  gratitude 
seemed  to  be  the  preponderating  emotion — gratitude  that  I 
had  gone  through  this  trying  effort,  and  that  the  question  was 
finally  settled  ;  -and  especially  that  so  good  a  reason  could  be 
assigned  for  its  being  settled  in  the  negative." 

The  site  for  the  seminary  had  been  selected  at  a  meeting 
of  the  trustees,  held  on  May  19,  1836. 

July  7,  she  writes,  "  Mr.  Tyler  has  never  been  satisfied 
with  the  site  selected,  Mr.  Bowdoin,  who  was  not  at  the 
meeting  When  the  question  was  decided,  also  dislikes  the 
selection.  Mr.  Hawks  and  myself  like  it  more  than  we  dis- 
like it.  To-day  we  have  been  to  the  spot,  measured  the 
ground,  taken  the  relative  elevation,  and  discussed  the  sub- 
ject abundantly.  I  am  not  very  partial  to  the  spot,  but  I 
dread  to  have  the  subject  again  agitated." 

On  the  18th  of  the  same  month,  she  writes,  "  Mr.  Tyler 
and  Mr.  Bowdoin  were  so  much  dissatisfied  with  the  selec- 
tion of  site,  that  it  was  thought  best  to  call  a  meeting  of  the 
trustees  to  reconsider  the  subject.  See  how  one  source  of 
solicitude  follows  quickly  on  the  steps  of  another  !  " 

Again,  on  the  31st  of  July,  she  writes,  "  The  trustees  held 
a  meeting  on  Thursday  ;  "  and  adds,  "  They  confirmed  the 
doings  of  their  last  meeting  respecting  the  site." 

In  a  letter  of  September  6,  she  details  other  discour- 
agements. She  writes,  "  After  the  excavations  for  the  cel- 
lar and  basement  story  were  nearly  completed,  an  apparent 
defect  was  discovered  in  the  foundation,  and  we  had  great 
fears  that  the  question  of  site  would  be  again  agitated.     The 


LAYING  OF  THE  CORNER  STONE.  231 

foundation  was  examined  by  a  gentleman  well  acquainted 
with  such  things,  and  it  was  decided  to  be  safe,  but  better  to 
go  back  a  little.  It  was  removed  back  twenty-five  feet  far- 
ther from  the  road.  I  wish  it  could  have  gone  much  farther 
back,  but  this  was  something  I  could  not  control.  It  is  sixty 
feet  from  the  road,  which  is  venry  wide,  and  makes  the  dis- 
tance more  tolerable.  But  the  same  man  who  decided  on 
the  foundation  raised  a  doubt  about  the  bricks  which  had 
been  purchased,  and  there  was  great  fear  that  all  must  be 
rejected,  and  no  more  could  be  obtained  till  they  were  made 
next  summer.  Several  days  more  of  suspense  succeeded, 
when  the  bricks  were  examined  by  a  superior  judge,  and 
pronounced  not  bad,  pretty  good." 

It  might  have  been  as  hazardous  as  Miss  Lyon  supposed 
to  have  the  question  of  site  again  reconsidered.  She  feared 
that  the  trustees  would  be  divided  on  the  question  more  and 
more  strongly,  and  that,  unable  to  see  alike,  some  of  them, 
whom  the  cause  could  ill  afford  to  spare,  would  desert  it. 
But  some,  who  are  familiar  with  the  ground,  cannot  but  regret 
that  a  more  eligible  situation  had  not  been  chosen  from 
among  the  beautiful  building  spots  in  South  Hadley.  After 
the  erection  of  the  edifice,  Miss  Lyon  was  accustomed  to 
preclude  all  criticisms  on  the  selection,  by  taking  her  visitors 
to  the  upper  story,  and  directing  their  attention  to  the  mag- 
nificent views  from  the  southern  and  western  windows. 

The  corner  stone  was  laid  October  3,  1836.  On  the  7lh, 
Miss  Lyon  writes  from  South  Hadley  to  Miss  C,  "  We  had 
a  fine  day  for  the  laying  of  the  corner  stone.  I  should  have 
enjoyed  your  being  present.  It  was  a  day  of  deep  interest. 
The  associations  were  very  tender.  That  is  an  afl^ecting 
spot  to  me.  The  stones,  and  brick,  and  mortar  speak  a  lan- 
guage which  vibrates  through  my  very  soul.  Flow  much 
thought  and  how  much  feeling  have  I  had  on  this  general 
subject  in  years  that  are  past  I  And  I  have  indeed  lived  to 
see  the  time,  when  a  body  of  gentlemen  have  ventured  to  lay 


232  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

the  corner  stone  of  an  edifice,  which  will  cost  about  fifteen 
thousand  dollars,  and  will  be  an  institution  for  the  education 
of  females.  Surely  the  Lord  hath  remembered  our  low 
estate.  This  will  be  an  era  in  female  education.  The  work 
will  not  stop  with  this  ins  itution.  The  enterprise  may  have 
to  struggle  through  embarrassments  for  years,  but  its  influ- 
ence will  be  felt." 

At  their  meeting  in  South  Hadley,  October  3,  the  trustees 
added  Rev.  Dr.  Heman  Humphrey,  and  Professor  Edward 
Hitchcock,  of  Amherst  College,  to  their  number. 

Miss  Lyon  writes  to  Miss  Grant  from  Boston,  October  25, 
1836,  "  Some  interesting  incidents  have  occurred  during 
the  last  two  weeks.  Our  enterprise  is  one  of  incidents.  The 
good  people  in  Conway  have  made  a  handsome  subscription 
for  our  seminary.  Besides,  Rev.  Melancthon  G.  Wheeler, 
their  minister,  is  going  to  labor  for  a  few  weeks,  to  help  us 
in  raising  funds.  The  officers  in  Amherst  College  supply 
his  pulpit  gratuitously  during  his  absence." 

Mr.  Wheeler,  in  those  few  weeks,  did  good  service  for  the 
cause,  obtaining  in  one  place,  where  he  had  previously  been 
settled,  five  hundred  dollars,  and  in  other  places  in  that 
vicinity  handsome  donations. 

About  this  time,  Miss  Lyon  addressed  a  circular  to  ladies 
of  her  acquaintance,  the  drift  of  which  will  be  seen  from 
the  following  extracts  :  — 

The  enterprise  of  founding  this  institution  was  commenced  about 
two  years  ago.  The  work  has  since  been  going  forward  slowly. 
The  first  edifice  is  now  erecting.  It  is  ninety-four  feet  by  fifty, 
and  of  four  stories,  besides  the  basement.  It  will  furnish  good  pub- 
lic accommodations  for  the  school  and  the  family,  private  chambers 
for  the  teachers,  and  for  eighty  young  ladies.  Additions  are  to  be 
made  hereafter,  as  the  liberality  of  the  Christian  public  shall  furnish 
the  means.  If  there  is  no  delay  on  account  of  funds,  this  first  build- 
ing can  be  finished,  and  a  school  of  eighty  scholars  commenced,  the 
latter  part  of  next  summer. 

The  time  has  now  come  when  we  must  make  our  arrangements 


CIRCULAR    TO    LADIES.  233 

for  furniture.  For  this  we  must  depend  principally  on  ladies.  We 
have  no  doubt  but  the  call  will  be  promptly  met.  In  all  our  prog- 
ress, ladies  have  been  prompt  to  do  all  that  we  have  asked.  It  is 
true  that  we  have  been  careful  to  avoid  extending  our  requests 
beyond  their  ability.  The  first  contribution  in  behalf  of  this  object 
was  made  by  ladies.  The  institution  had  then  assumed  no  name, 
nor  place,  nor  legal  standing.  The  whole  enterprise  was  less  in  ap- 
pearance than  a  man's  hand,  when  a  few  ladies  came  forward,  and 
generously  raised  one  thousand  dollars  to  meet  incidental  expenses. 
This  was  a  noble  beginning. 

Though  I  have  no  doubt  that  all  the  furniture  can  be  easily  made 
out  by  ladies,  and  merely  by  a  written  invitation,  without  the  inter- 
position of  an  agent,  yet,  to  effect  it  promptly,  some  regular  plan 
will  be  necessary.  We  shall  propose  to  distinct  towns,  or  parishes, 
the  plan  of  furnishing  one  chamber  each  by  a  united  contribution 
from  the  ladies.  The  other  parts  of  the  furniture  will,  we  hope,  be 
promptly  supplied  by  other  means,  perhaps  principally  by  donations 
from  individuals.  This  plan  has  been  examined  and  approved  by 
several  judicious  ladies.  Some  towns  are  now  ready  to  commence 
the  work  of  furnishing  a  chamber,  and  the  teachers  and  pupils  of  one 
school,*  under  the  care  of  a  lady  from  the  Ipswich  Female  Seminary, 
have  already  given  a  donation  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  dollars,  to 
be  expended  in  other  articles  of  furniture.  WiU  not  other  schools, 
with  their  teachers,  follow  this  example  ?  and  especially  those  in- 
structed by  ladies  from  the  Ipswich  Seminary,  on  whose  influence 
over  the  community  this  enterprise  has  been  able  to  rely  with  so 
much  confidence  ?  Will  not  many  ladies  feel  it  to  be  a  privilege  to 
make  a  large  donation,  to  furnish  some  specific  articles  of  furniture  ? 

But  the  business  of  furnishing  chambers  needs  immediate  atten- 
tion. The  sum  necessary  for  one  chamber  will  be  from  fifty  to  sixty 
dollars  ;  fifty  dollars  will  furnish  the  essential  articles,  though  some 
other  conveniences  would  be  very  desirable,  and  might  be  procured 
for  a  few  dollars  more.  This  will  be  left  optional  with  the  donors. 
Let  one  efficient  lady,  in  almost  any  place,  either  alone  or  with  one 
or  two  to  aid  her,  commence  the  work  with  decision,  and  peioever- 
ance  to  carry  it  through,  and  it  will  be  done ;  whUe,  in  the  most 
flourishing  town,  it  would  not  be  accomplished  unless  some  one  lady 
should  undertake  the  work  as  her  own  business.  I  should  advise 
that  the  contribution  should  be  very  general,  embracing  a  great 
number  of  ladies.     It  may  be  best  to  request,  that  the  largest  contri- 

•  Wheaton  Female  Seminary,  at  Norton,  Massachusetts. 

20* 


234  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

bution  should  not  exceed  five  dollars.  Individuals  who  are  able  to 
do  more  might  give  a  separate  donation  ia  addition,  to  be  appro- 
priated in  some  other  way.  Perhaps,  in  some  cases,  the  bedding  and 
some  money  might  be  advanced  by  some  young  ladies'  sewing  soci- 
ety, and  the  remainder  raised  by  a  general  contribution  from  ladies 
of  all  ages.  The  plan  of  operation  must,  however,  vary  according 
to  the  circumstances  of  different  towns. 

And  now,  dear  madam,  would  not  the  ladies  in  your  place  con- 
sider it  a  privilege  to  furnish  one  of  these  chambers  ?  Would  you 
not  consider  it  a  privilege  to  bring  the  subject  before  them  so  fairly, 
that  they  will  do  it  with  promptness  ? 

Among  the  means  essential  to  the  safety  of  the  nation,  many  are 
con\-inced  of  the  necessity  of  urging  into  the  field  a  multitude  of 
benevolent,  self-denying  female  teachers.  Many  of  the  most  candid 
and  discriminating,  who  have  the  advantage  of  observation  on  this 
subject,  are  convinced  that  all  other  means  without  this  wHl  be  in- 
sufficient. Fill  the  country  with  ministers,  and  they  could  no  more 
conquer  the  whole  land  and  secure  their  victories,  without  the  aid 
of  many  times  their  number  of  self-denying  female  teachers,  than 
the  latter  could  complete  the  work  without  the  former.  But  what 
can  be  done  ?  Most  of  the  calls  which  come  to  New  England,  and 
are  multiplying  every  year,  must  be  returned  unanswered.  The 
seminary  at  Ipswich,  whose  teachers  are  found  in  every  part  of  our 
country,  and  whose  influence  has  done  so  much  to  prepare  the  way 
for  this  enterprise,  is  compelled  even  now  to  return  a  negative  reply 
to  a  multitude  of  calls  every  year.  And  the  necessities  of  the  coim- 
try  are  yet  scarcely  beginning  to  be  knoAvn. 

This  work  of  supplying  teachers  is  a  great  work,  and  it  must  be 
done,  or  our  country  is  lost,  and  the  world  wiU  remain  unconverted. 
If  we  begin,  we  must  go  on  ;  the  more  we  do,  the  more  we  must  do. 
The  more  we  attempt  to  supply,  in  this  particular,  the  wants  of  our 
country,  the  more  its  wants  will  be  made  manifest.  What  instru- 
mentality shall  ever  meet  this  demand  ?  Why  is  it,  that  so  much 
should  have  been  seen,  and  acknowledged,  and  felt  on  this  subject, 
without  an  attempt  to  apply  the  sovereign  remedy,  which  has  been 
so  successfully  applied  to  every  other  want  ?  It  has  seemed  that  the 
church  had  been  fully  convinced,  that  there  was  but  one  grand 
means  of  meeting  any  great  public  demand  of  the  Redeemer's  king- 
dom—  a  union  of  disinterested  labors  and  contributions  is  this 
grand  means.  When  the  church  early  felt  her  need  of  the  services 
of  young  men,  she  began  to  found  colleges ;  and  as  the  demand  for 


CIRCULAR    TO    LADIES.  235 

their  services  increased,  and  became  more  manifest,  she  went  on 
founding  colleges,  till  more  than  eighty  have  been  reared  in  our 
country,  and  more  than  thirty  theological  seminaries.  But  this  was 
found  to  be  not  sufficient,  and  the  American  Education  Society  came 
into  existence,  and  has  been  going  forward  with  an  increasing  mag- 
nificence and  glory,  scarcely  equalled,  except  by  the  importance  of 
its  object.  All  these  are  so  many  public  voices  from  the  church, 
calling  upon  young  men,  and  entreating  them  to  enlist  in  her  ser- 
vice. But  what  has  been  the  voice  of  the  church  to  female  teach- 
ers ?  Has  it  not  been,  "  We  need  not  your  set-vices :  go  on  to  serve 
yourselves  —  to  serve  the  children  of  this  world  —  to  serve  the  mammon 
of  unrighteousness.  We  can  save  our  country,  and  convert  the  world 
without  your  aid." 

After  these  remarks,  you  would  expect  that  I  should  feel  deeply 
interested  in  the  success  of  Mount  Holyoke  Female  Seminary.  Had 
I  a  thousand  lives,  I  could  sacrifice  them  all  in  suffering  and  hard- 
ship for  its  sake.  Did  I  possess  the  greatest  fortime,  I  could  readily 
relinquish  it  all,  and  become  poor,  and  more  than  poor,  if  its  pros- 
perity should  demand  it.  Its  grand  object  is  to  furnish  the  greatest 
possible  number  of  female  teachers,  of  high  literary  qusdifications, 
and  of  benevolent,  self-denj'ing  zeal ;  and  every  other  good  must,  if 
need  be,  be  sacrificed  to  this  great  object. 

1.  The  institution  is  to  be  only  for  an  older  class  of  young  ladies. 

2.  Every  scholar  is  to  board  in  the  establishment.  This  will  give 
great  unity  to  the  plans  of  the  institution,  and  will  greatly  facilitate 
the  improvement  of  those  for  whom  it  is  designed. 

3.  In  laying  out  the  minutia;  of  the  plan,  great  care  is  taken  to 
furnish  points  of  attraction  to  those  who  would  gladly  become  be- 
nevolent, self-denying  teachers,  shovild  the  cause  of  Christ  demand 
it,  and  points  of  repulsion  to  the  more  inefficient  and  self-indulgent, 
and  to  those  whose  views  and  desires  axe  bounded  by  themselves 
and  their  own  family  circle. 

4.  This  is  to  be  an  institution  of  the  highest  opportunities  for  im- 
provement, and  of  very  moderate  expense.  This  is  a  union  not  yet 
found  in  so  high  a  degree  in  any  large  female  seminary  in  the  land, 
and  not  to  be  found,  except  it  be  the  production  of  disinterested 
benevolence. 

5.  The  general  course  of  study,  and  the  general  character  of  the 
instruction,  are  to  be  like  those  at  Ipswich. 

6.  The  institution  is  placed  on  a  firm  legal  basis.  An  act  of  incor- 
poration has  been  obtained,  and  the  board  of  trustees  consists  of  the 


S36  THE   GBEAT   STRUGGLE. 

following  gentlemen :  Dr.  Humphrey,  and  Professor  Hitchcock,  of 
Amherst  College ;  Rev.  Mr.  Condit,  of  South  Hadley  ;  Kev.  Mr.  Tyler, 
and  William  Bowdoin,  Esq.,  of  South  Hadley  Canal;  Rev.  Mr. 
Hawks,  (permanent  agent ;)  David  Choatc,  Esq.,  of  Essex  ;  Deacon 
Andrew  W.  Porter,  of  Monson  ;  and  Mr.  Joseph  Averj',  of  Conway. 

7.  The  institution  is  to  be  permanent,  continuing  onward  in  its 
operations  from  generation  to  generation.  A  considerable  sum  has 
already  been  subscribed  to  this  object,  and  by  some  hundreds  of  in- 
dividuals in  more  than  sixty  different  to-wns.  How  unlike  the 
principle  so  long  acted  upon,  that  Christians  are  not  required  to 
contribute  for  the  building  up  of  any  female  seminary,  unless  "it  be 
established  in  their  own  town  !  As  the  number  of  self-denying 
friends  is  continually  increasing,  the  sacred  cords  of  obligation  are 
becoming  stronger  and  stronger. 

These  ai-e  some  of  the  general  principles,  and  this  the  grand  ob- 
ject of  the  institution.  And  is  it  too  much  for  Christians  to  indulge 
high  hopes  of  usefulness  to  the  cause  of  Christ  from  this  institution, 
founded  on  such  principles,  and  contemplating  such  an  object,  and 
going  forward  in  improvement,  and  in  increasing  usefulness,  from 
generation  to  generation  7  May  the  Lord  grant  that  the  high  but 
reasonable  hopes  of  the  friends  of  the  Redeemer  may  be  more  than 
realized  in  coming  years.  In  the  many  hundreds,  if  not  thousands, 
of  teachers  which  it  will  send  forth,  it  -nail  doubtless  be  an  instrument 
of  good,  far  beyond  the  present  grasp  of  my  feeble  comprehension. 

But  this  is  not  all.  This,  in  my  view,  is  not  the  most  important 
result  of  this  grand  experiment  on  the  benevolence  of  the  Christian 
community.  It  has  an  important  bearing  on  the  great  subject  of 
adopting  suitable  means  for  supplying  our  country  ^^■ith  well-quaU- 
fied  female  teachers,  and  it  is  testing  the  great  question  of  duty  on 
this  subject.  This  constitutes  its  chief  importance.  It  is  like  the 
signing  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence ;  the  battles  were  still 
to  be  fought,  but  the  question  of  independence  was  then  settled. 
It  is  like  fitting  out  our  first  little  band  of  missionaries.  The  great 
work  of  evangelizing  a  world  was  stiU  before  the  American  churches  ; 
but  the  grand  question  of  duty,  and  the  mode  of  meeting  duty,  were 
then  settled,  never  again  to  he  seriously  doubted.  Let  this  enter- 
prise be  carried  through  by  the  prompt  liberality  of  the  Christian 
community,  and  it  wiU  no  longer  be  doubted  whether  the  work  of 
supplying  our  country  with  well-qualified  female  teachers  shall  be 
allowed  a  standing  among  the  benevolent  operations  of  the  day. 
The  work  will  still  be  before  us,  but  the  principle  on  which  it  is  to 


CIRCULAR    TO    LADIES.  237 

be  accomplished  will  be  settled.  Another  stone  in  the  foundation 
of  our  great  system  of  benevolent  operations,  which  are  destined, 
in  the  hand  of  God,  to  convert  a  world,  will  then  be  laid.  When 
the  last  stone  in  this  foundation  shall  have  been  laid,  we  shall  only 
need  to  go  forward  and  buUd,  to  modify  and  mature,  to  carry  out 
our  principles  to  their  results,  till  the  work  is  finished.  But  the 
foundation  stones  must  all  be  laid.  Every  fundamental  principle 
must  be  settled.  They  are  mutually  to  sustain  and  support  each 
other.  Take  away  any  one,  and  aU  the  others  wUl  suffer  by  the  loss. 
And  who  can  tell  how  much  every  great  effort  of  the  church,  during 
the  last  thirty  years,  has  been  kept  back,  because  it  has  never  been 
acknowledged,  in  practice,  that  the  work  of  supplying  our  country 
Avith  a  sufficient  number  of  well-qualified  female  teachers  must  be 
accomplished  by  a  voluntary  sacrifice  of  time  and  money,  propor- 
tioned to  the  greatness  and  importance  of  the  object  1 

The  work  of  bringing  this  institution  into  operation  has  been 
longer  than  was  anticipated.  But  the  progress  of  the  enterprise  in 
taking  an  acknowledged  standing  among  the  benevolent  operations 
of  the  day  has  exceeded  the  expectations  of  its  warmest  friends.  I 
doubt  whether  any  benevolent  object,  not  excepting  even  the  mis- 
sionary cause,  has  ever,  within  two  years  from  its  commencement, 
made  a  greater  advance  in  gaining  access  to  the  understanding  and 
hearts  of  the  people.  How  true  it  is,  that  Christians  have  but  httle 
faith  in  any  object,  till  they  have  made  sacrifices  for  its  sake  !  The 
eyes  of  many  are  now  turning  towards  this  new  enterprise.  Many 
have  rejoiced  that  so  noble  a  design  has  been  formed  in  the  heart 
of  New  England.  They  have  hoped  that  it  may  be  only  the  begin- 
ning of  a  great  and  glorious  work  of  benevolence,  which  shall  in 
this  department  meet  the  demands  of  the  chiirch.  Many  hearts 
have  been  filled  with  hope,  as  they  have  beheld  this  enterprise  com- 
menced and  carried  forward  in  obedience  to  the  great  command, 
"Love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself." 

And  now,  dear  madam,  will  you  allow  me  to  appeal  to  your  be- 
nevolence in  behalf  of  this  cause  ?  There  may  be  some  gentlemen, 
in  the  circle  of  your  friends,  whose  heart  the  Lord  will  incline  to 
favor  this  object,  and  whose  hand  the  Lord  will  open  in  its  behalf. 
If  so,  you  will  bear  it  in  remembrance  that  several  circumstances 
combine  to  place  the  institution  just  now  in  circumstances  of  great 
necessity.  I  do  most  earnestly  desire  that  all,  who  have  it  in  their 
hearts  to  do  something  for  this  object,  may  speedily  do  that  which 
has  been  put  into  their  hearts.    There  may  be  some  ladies  in  youx 


238  THE    GREAT    STEITGGLE. 

circle  of  acquaintance,  -who  Avill  feel  it  to  be  a  privilege  to  make  an 
uncommon  sacrifice  for  tlio  benefit  of  this  cause,  and  make  out  in 
its  behalf  a  generous  donation,  either  to  the  principal  fund,  or  to 
supply  some  of  the  more  expensive  articles  of  furniture.  But  the 
question  of  furnishing  a  chamber  is  one  to  -which  a  direct  reply  is 
particularly  requested.  It  is  important  that  the  reply  should  be 
DECisrv'E,  and  as  early  as  convenient,  so  that,  in  case  the  answer 
should  be  negative,  (which,  however,  I  do  not  expect,)  a  substitute 
may  bo  fotuid. 

An  effort,  wliich  had  long  been  contemplated,  was  made 
in  Boston  in  March,  1837.  Its  results  are  chronicled  by 
Miss  Lyon,  in  a  letter  to  Miss  Grant,  under  date  of  March 
13:  "Thursday  evening,  though  it  was  so  rainy,  we  had 
a  very  interesting  little  meeting  in  Deacon  Safford's  par- 
lor. The  gentlemen  thought  there  would  be  no  impropriety 
in  admitting  three  ladies  to  hear  what  was  said  on  the  sub- 
ject—  Mrs.  S.,  Miss  C,  and- myself.  Deacon  Safford  wished 
to  have  us  present,  and  asked  the  opinion  of  several  gentle- 
men, who  approved  of  it.  Rev.  Messrs.  Cogswell,  Ander- 
son, Blagden,  Winslow,  Rogers,  and  Boies,  with  some  fifteen 
or  twenty  laymen,  were  present.  Mr.  Anderson  made  some 
very  pertinent  and  effective  remarks,  and  read  a  part  of 
your  letter  in  connection  with  them.  At  the  close  of  the 
meeting,  a  subscription  was  taken  up  of  a  little  more  than 
three  thousand  dollars,  which  has  since  been  increased  to 
four  thousand.  The  largest  subscriptions  were,  one  of  one 
thousand  dollars  from  Deacon  Safford,  two  of  five  hundred 
dollars  each,  and  four  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  each, 
from  other  individuals. 

On  the  17th  of  March,  she  writes  again  to  Miss  Grant, 
"  Dr.  Anderson  has  lent  me  your  letter,  and  I  have  read  it 
to  several,  and  all  are  very  much  interested  in  it.  It  makes 
a  fine  impression,  and  is  much  suited  to  benefit  the  great 
object.  I  want  leave  of  you  to  use  it  at  my  discretion,  and 
I  will  engage  to  make  a  good  use  of  it." 


MISS  grant's  letter.  239 

We  give  a  part  of  the  letter  which  Miss  Lyon  valued  so 
highly,  below :  — 

"Ipswich,  February  23,  1837. 
"  Reverend  and  dear  Sir  : 

"  I  have  just  learned  that  it  is  still  undecided  whether 
any  united  effort  shall  be  made  in  Boston  in  behalf  of 
the  Mount  Holyoke  Female  Seminary.  I  do  hope  the 
benevolent  men  in  our  metropolis  will  not  dismiss  this  sub- 
ject without  a  careful  examination.  The  question  is  not, 
whether  the  plan  of  that  seminary,  in  all  its  minutiae,  is 
adapted  to  their  taste,  or  whether  it  is  as  good  as  their  united 
wisdom  could  devise ;  but  it  is  whether  they  will  lend  a 
helping  hand  in  building  up  an  institution  founded  on  Chris- 
tian principles,  and  designed  for  the  education  of  female 
teachers. 

"  Woman,  elevated  by  the  Christian  religion,  was  designed 
by  Providence  as  the  principal  educator  of  our  race.  From 
her  entrance  on  womanhood  to  the  end  of  her  life,  this  is  to 
be  her  great  business.  By  her  influence,  not  only  her 
female  friends,  her  scholars,  and  her  daughters  are  to  be 
affected,  but  also  her  sons,  her  brothers,  the  young  men 
around  her,  and  even  the  elder  men,  not  excepting  her 
father  and  his  peers.  Considering  the  qualifications  which 
the  mothers  in  our  land  now  possess,  is  there  not  a  call  for 
special  effort  from  some  quarter  to  render  them  aid  in  fitting 
their  daughters  to  exert  such  an  influence  as  is  needed  from 
this  source  on  our  infant  republic,  on  our  Christian  country  ? 
Never  before  was  the  call  for  pious,  well-qualified  female 
teachers  so  urgent  and  so  reiterated  from  every  part  of  our 
land.  Never  before  were  there  so  many  energetic,  talented, 
benevolent  females  disposed  to  qualify  themselves  to  do 
something  towards  educating  the  rising  race  for  the  service 
of  the  church.  How  shall  the  many  destitute  children  in 
our  country  be  rightly  guided  without  a  teacher  ?     How  can 


240  THE    GREAT    STKUGGLE. 

females  teach  without  being  prepared  ?    And  how  can  a  suf 
ficient  number  be  prepared  without  public  aid  ? 

"  We  ask,  therefore,  for  aid,  not  for  the  sake  of  an  indi- 
vidual, not  for  the  sake  of  the  female  sex,  but  we  ask  it  for 
our  country,  nay,  more,  for  the  world.  We  ask  it,  that  our 
Redeemer  may  be  glorified,  in  having  a  more  holy  seed  to 
worship  him  on  the  earth,  and  a  larger  and  more  glorious 
train  to  manifest  his  image,  and  show  forth  the  wonders  of 
redeeming  love  to  all  eternity. 

"  My  soul  kindles  while  I  write  \  but  I  forbear,  for  I  am 
exceeding  the  limits  of  my  strength.  For  the  last  twelve 
days,  I  have  been  unable  to  attend  to  my  school,  have  been 
mostly  confined  to  my  room,  and  much  of  the  time  to  my 
bed.  My  failure  is  caused  partly  by  the  late  great  demands 
on  me  to  supply  female  teachers  to  the  destitute,  but  princi- 
pally by  a  series  of  efforts  to  sustain  an  institution,  without 
such  means  as  it  would  be  economy  for  the  Christian  public 
to  furnish,  and  such  as  I  think  they  would  long  since  have 
gladly  afforded,  if  the  subject,  in  its  bearings,  could  have 
been  presented  to  their  view.  From  my  present  prostration 
I  have  a  prevailing  hope  that  I  may  again  rise  ;  but  I  have 
scarcely  the  shadow  of  a  doubt  that  my  labors  will  be  cur- 
tailed many  years  in  consequence  of  my  increased  burden, 
for  the  want  of  what  comparatively  small  funds  would  have 
furnished. 

"  When  I  shall  reluctantly  leave  that  course  of  toil  which, 
for  its  results,  I  have  ardently  loved,  with  my  dying  breath 
would  I  plead  that  the  public  would  immediately  do  some- 
thing to  rear  and  uphold  Protestant  institutions  for  the  educa- 
tion of  females." 

The  trustees,  at  their  first  annual  meeting,  April  12,  1837, 
elected  Deacon  Daniel  SafTord,  of  Boston,  a  member  of 
their  board. 


DUTY  OF  YOUNG  LADIES  AT  SCHOOL.        241 

On  the  29th  of  May,  Miss  Lyon  writes  to  Miss  C,  a  lady 
in  the  seminary  at  Ipswich,  on  the  subject  of  raising  funds 
for  furniture  :  "  I  very  much  want  to  see  you  and  others 
whom  I  place  among  the  particular  friends  of  Mount  Hol- 
yoke  Female  Seminary.  We  are  now  in  a  very  great  strait 
about  obtaining  furniture,  &;c.  If  I  should  visit  you,  could 
the  whole  school  devote  from  one  to  two  hours  to  the  sub 
ject  ?  I  do  not  expect  that  they  will  contribute  any  thing  to 
this  object  while  they  are  members  of  the  school,  but  only 
use  their  influence  in  its  behalf  when  they  go  to  their  vari- 
ous homes. 

*'  I  would  by  all  means  have  the  teachers  choose  their  ob- 
ject of  benevolence,  present  its  claims  to  the  scholars,  and 
lead  them  to  give  abundantly  and  cheerfully ;  but  I  do  more 
and  more  feel  it  to  be  important  that  young  ladies  engaged 
in  study,  and  spending  freely  on  themselves  for  board  and 
tuition,  should  give  liberally  to  the  treasury  of  the  Lord. 
This  is  essential  to  their  cultivating  right  principles,  to  their 
forming  right  habits.  Are  not  young  ladies,  as  well  as  young 
men,  while  engaged  in  study,  in  danger  of  excusing  them- 
selves from  contributing  liberally,  because  they  are  spending 
their  money  to  prepare  themselves  for  usefulness  ?  By  forti- 
fying themselves  with  this  excuse,  through  their  whole  course 
of  education,  may  they  not  almost  form  the  habit  of  feeling 
that  every  thing  of  large  amount,  that  is  to  be  cast  into  the 
treasury  of  the  Lord  by  their  own  hands,  must  first  pass 
through  the  channel  of  self,  to  fit  it  for  the  Master's  ser- 
vice ?  Ought  not  young  ladies,  in  a  course  of  education,  care- 
fully to  economize  in  the  least  expenditures,  lest  something 
which  ought  to  be  put  into  the  treasury  of  the  Lord  should 
flow  into  some  other  channel  ?  I  hope  the  teachers  in  Ips- 
wich will  be  faithful  on  this  subject." 

The  funds  of  the  seminary  needing  help,  and  the  treasurer 
not  being  able  to    borrow  all  that  was  wanted.  Miss  Lyon 
writes  to  Miss  Grant,  September  6,  1837,  — 
21 


242  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

"  I  take  my  pen  to  ask  of  you  a  very  great  favor.  I  vyant 
to  use  five  hundred  dollars  this  fall,  which  is  not  due  me  till 
February  ;  and  if  I  could  get  it  of  some  personal  friend,  like 
yourself,  who  would  not  talk  about  it,  it  would  be  a  very 
great  relief,  besides  being  a  very  great  accommodation,  t 
do  not  suppose  that  you  can  let  me  have  this  as  well  as  not. 
I  suppose  it  will  cost  you  effort  and  care,  and  I  regret  to  add 
to  your  labors  in  your  present  state  of  health.  But  I  thought 
if  you  knew  just  how  much  I  needed  it,  you  would  prefer 
that  I  should  ask  you." 

EXTRACTS    FROM   A   LETTER   TO    HER    MOTHER. 

"  South  Hadley,  September  6,  1837. 
"  My  DEAR  Mother  : 

"  I  want  you  should  let  me  hear  from  you  often.  Letters 
sent  to  this  place  will  find  me  very  soon  ;  indeed,  I  must  be 
here  now  most  of  the  time.  I  have  so  much  letter  writing 
to  do,  that  I  seem  not  to  have  time  for  much  else.  And  yet 
I  have  five  times  as  much  as  I  can  do  which  I  wish  to  do. 
But  I  must  do  what  I  can,  and  let  the  rest  go  undone.  There 
is  scarcely  a  mail  which  does  not  bring  me  a  letter ;  yester- 
day's brought  five.  Most  of  them  require  an  answer,  and 
many  of  them  will  require  two  or  three  before  I  get  through 
with  them.  Among  all  these  letters,  I  should  now  and 
then  like  to  receive  one  from  my  own  dear  mother.  As 
for  myself,  my  head  is  filled  with  such  a  variety,  that  I  can 
write  nothing  except  it  is  on  business.  Our  building  is  going 
on  finely.  The  seal  to  every  thing  about  it  must  soon  be 
fixed.  My  head  is  full  of  closets,  shelves,  cupboards,  doors, 
sinks,  tables,  &c.  You  will  think  this  is  new  work  for  me, 
and,  indeed,  it  is. 

"  Give  my  love  to  father.  1  hope  he  will  have  the  pres- 
ence of  God,  and  be  prepared  for  a  long  and  happy  eter- 
nity, where  he  will  feel  no  more  of  his  infirmities,  and  wliere 
all  can  hear  [Mr,  Taylor  was  deaf]  distinctly  the  song  of 
Moses  and  the  Lamb." 


SELF-DENTING   LABORS.  243 

These  last  two  letters,  one  to  Miss  Grant  and  one  to  her 
mother,  were  written  precisely  three  years  after  the  meeting 
in  Miss  Lyon's  parlor  at  Ipswich,  of  which  Dr.  Packard  was 
chairman,  and  David  Choate,  Esq.,  Secretary,  where  the 
first  resolves  were  passed  to  attempt  to  found  a  permanent 
female  seminary  of  a  high  order. 

These  years,  as  Miss  Lyon's  letters  abundantly  show,  had 
been  with  her  years  of  much  and  increasing  toil.  For  the 
cause  to  which  she  had  given  her  life  she  dared  do  any  thing 
that  became  a  woman,  and  any  thing  which  she  deemed  not 
wrong  in  the  sight  of  God,  that  appeared  to  have  any  ten- 
dency to  further  her  object.  She  went  hither  and  thither  by 
public  conveyances,  with  Mr.  Hawks,  or  any  other  friend  of 
the  enterprise.  Travelling  the  road  from  Boston  to  the  Con- 
necticut often,  she  could  scarce  ride  any  ten  miles  of  the 
route  without  being  recognized  by  some  fellow-traveller, 
whose  cordial  salutation  would  introduce  her  to  the  company. 
All  felt  very  well  acquainted  with  her,  as  soon  as  they  heard 
her  name,  and  she  would  soon  be  invited  to  detail  the  prog- 
ress of  the  enterprise.  Being  infallibly  certain  that  the  ob- 
ject would  commend  itself  to  the  good  common  sense  and 
best  impulses  of  true  New  Englanders,  she  improved  every 
opportunity  of  unfolding  its  merits  to  any  who  seemed  capa- 
ble of  comprehending  them,  whether  acquaintances  or 
strangers.  She  could  make  herself  heard  easily,  although 
the  road  might  be  a  little  uneven,  and  would  expatiate  on 
the  subject  as  freely  as  in  her  own  parlor.  She  did  not  talk 
louder  than  many  fashionably-dressed  boarding-school  girls 
do  in  public  conveyances,  the  difference  being  that  the  latter 
inform  the  company  of  their  own  personal  affairs,  while  she 
discussed  principles  as  enduring  as  the  human  race,  and  as 
vital  to  human  welfare  as  they  are  enduring.  Many  a  man  can 
say,  "  I  saw  Miss  Lyon  once  ;  I  met  her  in  the  stage  coach  ; 
an  original  character,  quite."  One  young  lady  certainly 
enjoyed   her   instruction    the   first  year  of  the    school   in 


^44  THE   GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

consequence  of  such  a  casual  interview  of  her  father  with 
Miss  Lyon.  The  father  had  penetration  enough  to  discover 
that  she  understood  female  education,  and  could  so  train 
young  women  in  the  way  they  should  go,  that  when  they 
were  old  they  would  not  depart  from  it. 

Miss  Lyon's  friends  used  to  be  tried  at  the  wandering  kind 
of  life  she  led  during  these  years.  It  was  far  more  trying 
to  her  to  lead  it  than  to  them  to  witness  it.  How  content- 
edly did  she  stay  at  home,  ever  after  home  was  her  field  of 
labor!  TJjp  difficulty  with  which  she  was  drawn  from  it, 
even  in  a  vScation,  shows  that  it  was  repugnant  to  her  feel- 
ings to  lead  a  public  life.  When  her  familiar  friends  under- 
took to  remonstrate  with  her  on  the  subject,  they  always 
found  her  fully  aware  that  it  would  be  in  better  taste  to  sit 
down  in  some  secluded  nook,  and  from  its  loopholes  watch 
the  movements  and  success  of  the  agents ;  but  she  insisted 
that  it  was  better  to  violate  taste  than  not  to  have  the  work 
done.  She  claimed  that  the  exigency  of  the  case  required 
of  her  the  sacrifice  of  her  personal  feelings,  because  her 
presence  in  every  part  of  the  field  was  essential  to  the  pros- 
perity of  the  enterprise. 

Feeling  that  the  cause  for  which  she  toiled  was  the  Lord's, 
she  was  willing  to  make  herself  of  no  reputation  for  its  ad- 
vancement. Certain  that  her  feet  were  on  a  rock,  she  stood 
firm  and  fearless  of  sinking.  Along  with  unbounded  trust 
in  God,  she  had  a  reasonable  and  intelligent  trust  in  herself; 
and  both  combined  to  help  her  cling  tenaciously  to  her  dar- 
ling object.  So  long  as  what  she  did  was  not  sinful,  she  left 
the  consequences  entirely  to  that  Providence  whose  agent 
she  felt  herself  to  be.  "  What  do  I  that  is  wrong  ?  "  she 
would  say  to  the  friends  who  expostulated  with  her  on  the 
subject.  "  I  ride  in  the  stage  coach  or  cars  without  an  escort. 
Other  ladies  do  the  same.  I  visit  a  family  where  1  have 
been  previously  invited,  and  the  minister's  wife,  or  some 
leading  woman,  calls  the  ladies  together  to  see  me,  and  I  lay 


DEFENCE  OF  HER  PUBLIC  LABORS.  245 

our  object  before  them.  Is  that  wrong  ?  I  go  with  Mr. 
Hawks,  and  call  on  a  gentleman  of  known  liberality  at  his 
own  house,  and  converse  with  him  about  our  enterprise. 
What  harm  is  there  in  that  ?  If  there  is  no  harm  in  doing 
these  things  once,  what  harm  is  there  in  doing  them  twice, 
thrice,  or  a  dozen  times  ?  My  heart  is  sick,  my  soul  is 
pained  with  this  empty  gentility,  this  genteel  nothingness.  I 
am  doing  a  great  work.  I  cannot  come  down."  Thus  she 
justified  her  multiplied  toils,  travels,  and  sacrifices.  Though 
naturally  desirous  of  human  approbation,  yet,  if  she  was 
sure  she  was  right,  she  could  go  forward,  though  her  dearest 
friends  thought  she  was  wrong.  There  were  many  persons, 
first  and  last,  who  came  into  her  plans  for  a  time,  but,  unable 
to  see  things  just  as  she  did,  silently  withdrew.  She  saw 
the  hand  of  the  Lord  as  clearly  in  their  withdrawal  as  in 
their  enlistment.  She  often  remarked  that  the  right  persons 
were  always  raised  up  in  every  strait,  and  that  it  was  won- 
derful how  they  would  fall  away  when  there  was  nothing 
more  for  them  to  do ;  doubtless,  she  added,  to  teach  her  not 
to  trust  in  an  arm  of  flesh ;  and  then,  in  the  next  extremity, 
the  Lord  would  raise  up  others  to  fill  their  places.  The 
truth  is,  that,  happy  in  expedients,  and  fertile  in  combina- 
tions, when  one  door  was  shut,  she  could  always  find  another, 
and  though  God  was  truly  the  mover,  she  was  as  truly  his 
instrument. 

Those  who  did  not  entirely  agree  with  her  had  too  much 
confidence  in  her  earnest  and  benevolent  intentions  to  try  to 
thwart  her  plans.  She  was,  as  they  thought,  and  as  she  very 
well  knew,  set  in  her  opinions ;  but  she  was  set  only  when 
sure  she  was  right.  She  understood  the  subject  better  than 
any  gentleman,  because  she  had  studied  it  a  hundred  times 
as  much.  When  she  differed  from  any  of  her  coadjutors, 
the  result  generally  proved  that  she  was  in  the  right.  The 
trustees  came,  as  one  of  them  said,  to  be  afraid  to  oppose 
her  plans,  because  they  had  so  much  proof  that  the  Lord 
21  * 


246    ■  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

was  with  her,  and  that  what  she  proposed  to  do  he  had  pur- 
posed to  prosper. 

Her  courage  never  forsook  her.  "  It  is,"  she  used  to  say, 
"  one  of  the  nicest  of  mental  operations  to  distinguish  be- 
tween what  is  very  difficult  and  what  is  utterly  impossible." 
She  was  gifted  with  the  necessary  discrimination.  After  the 
question  of  site  for  the  building  had  been  reconsidered 
again  and  again,  after  the  foundations  had  been  reexamined 
and  removed  back  twenty-five  feet,  after  the  quality  of  the 
brick  had  been  questioned  and  tested  anew,  and  the  walls 
were  moving  slowly  upward,  the  structure  fell  to  the  ground. 
The  workmen  were  at  their  breakfast  when  the  disaster  oc- 
curred. "  Then,"  said  the  agent,  "  I  did  dread  to  meet  Miss 
Lyon.  'Now,'  thought  I,  '  she  will  be  discouraged.'  But  as  I 
went  towards  the  scene  of  confusion,  I  met  her  coming  to- 
wards me,  as  smiling  and  cheerful  as  ever ;  and  when  she 
arrived  within  speaking  <iistance,  she  exclaimed,  '  How 
wonderful !  no  one  killed,  no  one  hurt ;  the  men  all  at  their 
breakfast,  not  a  hair  of  their  heads  touched  ! '  " 

As  has  been  seen.  Miss  Lyon  herself  took  charge  of  ob- 
taining funds  and  articles  for  furnishing  the  house.  In  addi- 
tion to  crockery  and  cutlery  for  about  one  hundred  persons, 
in  addition  to  parlor  furniture  and  kitchen  utensils,  forty 
scholars'  rooms  were  to  be  provided  with  bedsteads,  beds, 
bedding,  tables,  washstands,  chairs,  and  mirrors.  Extracts 
from  the  letter  which  she  sent  to  many  ladies  have  already 
been  given.  Finding  her  bodily  presence  more  powerful 
than  her  letters,  she  went  to  many  towns  and  met  the  ladies, 
to  inspire  them  with  zeal  for  the  work.  When  questioned 
as  to  the  motives  from  which  some  gave  under  her  persever- 
ing eloquence  and  prolonged  urgency,  she  would  reply, 
"  Get  the  money,"  closing  her  hand,  to  suit  the  action  to 
the  word,  — "  get  the  money;  the  money  will  do  good." 

The  summer  and  fall  of  1837  she  spent  mostly  at  South 
Hadley.     Rev.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Condit,  who  lived  in  the  house 


OVEESIGHT    OF    THE    BUILDING.  247 

next  north  of  the  seminary,  took  her  into  their,  family  as 
they  would  a  sister.  How  grateful  was  she  ever  to  them, 
and  to  the  Providence  that  thus  incUned  them !  She  fully 
appreciated  and  highly  valued  the  uncommon  refinement 
and  taste  of  Mr.  Condit,  which  did  not,  on  his  part,  prevent 
him  from  perceiving  her  worth  through  a  rather  uncourtly 
cxteriur.  To  any  playful  remark  on  her  energetic  move- 
ments, he  would  pleasantly  say,  pointing  to  the  seminary, 
"  If  she  were  more  of  a  woman,  she  could  not  have  done  all 
this."  In  case  of  any  difficult  question  of  duty,  as  when  he 
was  offered  a  professorship  at  Amherst,  he  would  say,  "  I 
think  I  shall  see  the  way  of  duty;  Miss  Lyon  is  praying  for 
me."  One  of  her  last  deeds  of  grateful  love  was  devising 
a  plan  for  his  widow's  comfort,  which  she  did  not  live  to 
execute. 

She  slept  and  ate  at  Mr.  Condit's  for  several  months  be- 
fore she  removed  into  the  seminary.  Her  days  were  spent  in 
the  unfinished  edifice,  overseeing  workmen,  and  doing  many 
things  which  needed  to  be  done,  much  as  an  efficient  lady 
of  moderate  means  would  superintend  a  house  she  was 
building,  in  the  absence  of  her  husband.  She  looked  after 
the  drawers,  cupboards,  closets,  shelves,  latches,  and  hinges, 
and  saw  that  the  church's  funds  were  applied  to  promote  the 
convenience  and  welfare  of  the  church's  daughters.  When 
the  joiner  work  was  done,  she  made  ready  for  the  mason  ; 
when  the  masonry  was  done,  she  made  ready  for  the 
painter ;  and  when  the  painter  had  done,  she  saw  to  the 
drying.  The  workmen  might  complain  of  her  interference 
and  dictation,  but  it  was  little  she  minded  the  complain- 
ing, if  the  work  was  only  done  to  her  mind.  Deacon  Por- 
ter could  not  always  be  on  the  ground,  and  when  he  was, 
numberless  questions  came  to  her  for  a  solution.  She  could 
make  up  her  mind  quickly.  It  did  not  take  her  all  day  to 
decide  whether  the  floors  should  be  yellow  or  marble-color, 
or  any  other  question  of  like  consequence.     But  it  must  be 


248  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

confessed  that,  in  these  small  matters,  she  often  revoked  her 
decisions,  for  reasons  not  at  first  seen,  to  the  annoyance  of 
workmen,  who  cared  only  to  get  to  the  end  of  their  job. 

Though  a  small  thing,  it  shows  the  self-control  she  had 
attained,  that,  though  in  youth,  with  nothing  to  do  but  study, 
she  carried  her  book  to  the  table,  hardly  allowing  herself  time 
to  eat;  yet  at  this  period,  in  the  whirl  of  cares  and  duties, 
she  never  failed  to  be  at  table  ere  Mr.  Condit  asked  the 
divine  benediction,  always  staid  till  the  table  was  formally 
dismissed,  and  was  as  punctual  at  prayers  and  in  retiring  as 
she  ever  required  any  of  her  South  Hadley  pupils  to  be. 

It  was  the  finishing  and  furnishing  work,  above  described, 
which  was  before  her,  September  14,  1837,  when  she  ad- 
dressed the  following  lines  to  Miss  Grant.  The  school  was 
to  open  November  8,  about  seven  weeks  after  the  date  of 
the  letter  from  which  the  extract  is  taken. 

"  I  should  like  to  tell  you  many  things.  When  I  look 
through  to  November  8,  it  seems  like  looking  down  a  preci- 
pice of  many  hundred  feet,  which  I  must  descend.  I  can 
only  avoid  looking  at  the  bottom,  and  fix  my  eye  on  the  near- 
est stone,  till  I  have  safely  reached  it.  I  try  to  take  the  best 
possible  care  of  my  health.  I  have  had  more  real  sick  days 
with  headache  and  the  like,  during  the  last  few  weeks,  than 
usual ;  but,  on  the  whole,  I  am  very  much  sustained  by  a 
kind  Providence." 


SECTION    VI. 


Striking  Adaptation  of  the  Scenes  through  which  Miss  Lyan 
passed,  to  ft  her  for  the  great  Work  before  her. 

[Although  some  of  the  delineations  of  character  in  this 
section  belong  more  properly  to  the  last  part  of  the  work, 


MISS  lyon's  teaining.  249 

the  compiler  is  very  glad  that  one  who  uses  so  graphic  a 
pen,  and  who  was  so  familiar,  from  intimate  personal  inter- 
course, with  every  shade  of  Miss  Lyon's  character,  has 
given  us  these  interesting  sketches,  even  at  some  expense 
of  logical  order.] 

Events  reveal  God's  decrees,  and  time  unrolls  his  pur- 
poses. Tracing  one  thing  back  to  another,  Miss  Lyon's 
training,  from  her  very  birth,  seems  to  have  a  connection 
with  her  great  work.  The  first  thirty-five  years  of  her  life 
were  a  preparation  for  the  rest.  That  work  consisted  in  dis- 
covering and  realizing  the  need  of  a  permanent  female  sem- 
inary, in  awakening  the  Christian  community  to  see  and  feel 
that  need,  in  raising  the  funds  necessary  to  supply  it,  in 
planning  and  erecting  the  buildings,  and  in  commencing  and 
sustaining  operations  there,  until  what  was  at  first  matter  of 
experiment  became  matter  of  history.  To  the  mind  that 
sees  God  in  every  thing,  it  is  interesting  to  observe  the  way 
in  which  he  prepared^er  by  his  providence  and  grace  for 
this  work. 

The  work  to  be  done  needed  a  strong,  inventive,  earnest, 
enthusiastic  mind.  It  needed  a  spirit  that  could  not  be 
looked  down  by  opposition  from  the  honored  and  the 
wealthy,  nor  discouraged  by  any  common  obstacles,  to- 
gether with  a  body  able  to  fulfil  the  purposes  and  plans  of 
such  a  spirit.     Miss  Lyon  had  both. 

She  was  descended,  as  we  have  seen,  from  a  healthy, 
long-lived  ancestry,  and  expected  herself,  with  good  reason, 
to  live  to  old  age.  The  physician  who  attended  her  in  her 
last  illness,  and  was  well  acquainted  with  her,  said  that  she 
had  six  times  the  strength  of  constitution,  both  physical  and 
mental,  of  a  common  woman.  Who  that  witnessed  her 
watchings,  her  toils,  her  endurance,  in  the  prime  of  her 
days,  will  not  assent  to  his  opinion?  We  hear,  upon  good 
authority,  that  when  a  member  of  the  Sanderson  Academy, 


250  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

she  was  engaged  in  study  twenty  hours  out  of  the  twenty 
four,  save  the  few  and  hurried  intervals  in  which  she  took 
her  meals  and  went  to  and  from  her  boarding-house  to  the 
academy.  Yet  we  hear  of  no  faltering  in  health,  no  break- 
ing down  from  hard  study.  Her  large,  strong  frame  teemed 
with  as  strong  a  life.  At  twenty-five  years  of  age,  her  mind 
ran  seemingly  without  weariness,  and  appeared  as  active  at 
night  as  in  the  morning.  One  of  her  signal  victories  over 
herself  in  after  years  was  breaking  up  her  late  study  hours, 
and  retiring  habitually  early.  It  cost  her  much  resolution, 
but  she  always  felt  that  she  had  her  reward. 

A  sound  mind  in  a  sound  body  was  her  birthright.  But 
he  who  breathed  into  her  clay  so  much  more  vital  fire  than 
he  commonly  sees  fit  to  bestow  upon  an  individual,  next 
adapted  her  outward  circumstances  to  its  safe  keeping.  She 
was  not  born  to  ease  and  affluence.  She  was  not  cradled 
on  down.  She  did  not  tread  on  soft  carpets,  loll  on  cush- 
ioned sofas,  ride  at  first  in  her  basket  cradle,  and  afterwards 
in  a  coach.  So  doing  and  faring,  she  might,  by  middle  age, 
have  become  so  enervated  in  body  and  mind  as  scarce  to 
adventure  to  set  the  sole  of  her  foot  upon  the  ground  for 
delicatcness  and  tenderness.  Nor  was  she  given  to  literary 
parents,  who,  proud  of  the  prodigy,  might  have  suffered  her 
to  rock  and  read  from  early  morn  to  dewy  eve,  and,  by  the 
most  successful  hot-house  nurture,  might  have  mhde  her  a 
paragon  indeed,  but  might  as  likely  have  opened  for  her  an 
early  grave.  She  was  thrown  into  a  neighborhood  where  tal- 
ent and  genius  were  little  talked  of  and  slightly  valued.  The 
honored  parents  to  whom  she  was  committed,  like  those  of 
the  babe  in  Bethlehem,  were  pious,  common-sensxj,  self- 
dependent,  hard-working  people.  They  sought  first  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  and  all  things  needful  to  them  and  theirs 
were  added  with  it.  In  their  little  and  quiet  nest,  seven 
mouths  opened  wide  for  bread  ;  and  the  loving  parents,  day 
by  day,  filled  them,  not  with  stones  nor  dainties,  but  with 


MISS  lyon's  training.  251 

what  they  craved  —  sweet,  light  bread.  What  though  they 
wandered  around  their  secluded  homestead  shoeless  in  sum- 
mer, the  warm  stockings  and  the  strong,  thick  shoes  awaited 
them  in  winter.  Mary,  like  the  rest,  and  like  the  generality 
of  children,  was  left  to  her  own  resources,  to  look  after  her 
own  comfort,  and  provide  for  her  own  amusement.  Her 
own  genius  made  her  playthings.  Summer's  sun  browned 
and  crimsoned  her  beautiful  skin,  the  rain  and  the  wind 
played  with  her  fair  hair,  the  ice,  the  snow,  and  the  hail 
were  her  wonder  and  her  pastime.  Her  young  hands  and 
feet  were  soon  employed  in  healthful  work  or  errands  of 
love.     She  went  to  bed  sleepy  and  rose  refreshed. 

Multitudes  of  entertaining  books  did  not  cloy  her  appetite 
for  knowledge.  Even  the  district  school  Avas  so  far  from 
their  corner  of  the  world,  that  she  could  enjoy  its  privileges 
only  when  her  mother  was  able  to  make  some  shift  to  get 
her  boarded  nearer  the  school-house.  The  Bible  was  the  first 
and  best  book  in  their  family  library.  From  her  earliest  in- 
fancy, her  parents  had  read  it,  with  becoming  seriousness, 
as  often  as  the  sun  roused  them  to  the  duties  of  a  new  day. 
Her  mother  told  her  its  stories  before  she  could  read  them 
for  herself.  Mary,  for  want  of  other  books,  had  read  it  much, 
and  treasured  up  its  words  of  wisdom  in  a  singularly  tena- 
cious memory.  She  turned  leaf  after  leaf  in  another  book, 
that  never  tires  by  repetition.  Their  little  brown  house, 
snugly  nestled  under  the  hill,  (see  Sketch,  at  the  end  of  Part 
I.,)  was  surrounded  by  the  wildest  scenery.  Her  young  and 
eager  curiosity  turned  to  nature  for  its  refreshment  and  sup- 
plies. The  roses,  the  pinks,  and  the  peonies,  the  buds,  the 
blossoms,  and  the  fruit,  the  rocks,  the  cliffs,  the  hillocks,  and 
the  dells,  as  she  herself  tells  us,  employed  her  opening  mind. 

No  feeling  of  degradation  ever  once  rose  in  young  Mary's 
heart.  She  was  never  an  object  of  charity.  After  her 
father's  death,  her  mother  husbanded  their  little  income  so 
thriftily,  that  it  met  their  simple  wants,  and  left  them  their 


252  THE    GEEAT    STRUGGLE. 

mite  for  charity.  Miss  Lyon  used  to  enumerate  it  among 
her  early  mercies  that  she  never  knew  a  servile,  cringing 
fear  of  those  born  to  better  things  than  herself.  Her 
mother,  the  sun  of  their  little  circle,  the  admired  of  all  ad- 
mirers in  that  retired  neighborhood  for  her  goodness  and 
skill,  walked  a  queen  among  them.  Her  children  knew  it. 
So,  while  Mary,  unfettered  by  custom  and  fashion,  in  her 
short  and  scanty  robe,  ranging  from  one  end  of  the  farm  to 
the  other,  was  manufacturing  bone,  flesh,  and  sinew,  that 
could  stand  the  drafts  of  future  days,  she  yet  felt  herself  as 
good  as  the  best. 

As  Mary  grew  in  strength,  she  was  busily  and  laboriously 
employed.  She  knew  what  it  was  to  labor,  working  with 
her  own  hands.  Her  far-sighted  mother  had  no  drones  in 
that  little  hive.  She  worked  in  the  most  agreeable,  of  all 
circumstances,  in  the  society  and  under  the  eye  of  that 
cheerful,  capable,  sensible  mother.  Up  with  the  lark,  from 
sunrise  to  sunset  she  went  from  one  sort  of  work  to  another, 
never  tired,  never  unhappy,  never  discontented.  How  beau- 
tifully she  always  spoke  of  woman's  sphere  of  labor !  "  So 
much  variety,  such  pleasant  work  !  "  she  used  to  say,  "  so 
unlike  the  monotonous  task  of  drawing  out  the  waxed  end, 
or  driving  the  peg  all  day  long." 

When,  at  her  second  marriage,  her  mother  removed  to  a 
new  home,  Mary  remained  under  the  paternal  roof,  sole  mis- 
tress and  servant  in  front  room  and  kitchen,  doing  a  hired 
girl's  work  for  a  hired  girl's  wages,  but  lending  head  and 
heart,  as  well  as  hands,  to  her  beloved  employer.  She  was 
not  merely  keeping  house  for  a  brother;  she  was  educating 
herself  for  her  future  and  more  important  labors.  Though 
not  naturally  very  handy,  she  brought  to  her  work  strength, 
eqergy,  prudence,  and  perseverance.  She  always  gave  her 
mind  to  the  thing  she  was  doing,  whether  it  were  preparing 
a  meal,  calculating  an  eclipse,  teaching  a  child  to  cipher, 
listening  to  a  sermon,  or  writing  an  essay  on  female 
education. 


MISS  lyon's  training.  253 

Miss  Lyon's  perseverance  carried  her  through  every 
thing  she  undertook.  With  all  her  acknowledged  inaptitude 
for  mechanical  pursuits,  she  could  spin  and  weave  as  well  as 
any  of  her  kinswomen  of  those  days.  The  blue  fulled  cloth 
habit,  which  she  wore  at  Derry  and  Ipswich  in  1827  and 
1828,  she  spun  and  wove  herself.  She  could  make  a  batch 
of  bread  or  a  tin  of  biscuit  without  wasting  a  dust  of  flour. 
She  could  clear-starch  as  well  as  any  laundress  in  the  land. 
Gloves  and  window  curtains  she  could  net  evenly  and  clev- 
erly. Whatever  her  later  correspondents  may  think,  she 
once  wrote  a  very  fair  and  legible  hand.  There  is  in  the 
writer's  possession  a  remnant  of  a  muslin  neckerchief  which 
she  embroidered  with  her  own  hands,  and  it  does  credit  to 
her  needle.  She  took  all  the  greater  pleasure  in  doing  these 
and  the  like  things  because  they  came  hard  to  her. 

Not  only  in  her  lowly  home  did  Miss  Lyon  work  willingly, 
"  laying  her  hand  to  the  spindle,"  and  "  taking  hold  of  the 
distaff,"  but  when  she  went  to  school  she  sometimes  paid  for 
her  board,  in  the  family  where  she  was  received,  by  assisting 
about  the  house.  Notwithstanding  these  hinderances,  she 
learned  more  than  any  one  else,  and  her  mates  loved  and 
respected  her  just  as  well  as  though  she  had  paid  her  board 
with  money.  This  circumstance,  and  the  strait  which  made 
it  necessary,  she  never  forgot.  It  fitted  her  the  better  to 
understand  the  limited  means  and  inward  longings  of  her 
fellow-women.  It  recurred  to  her  in  after  life  as  an  argu- 
ment that  her  plans  were  feasible.  It  contributed  to  set  the 
current  of  her  great  soul  towards  the  middle  classes,  the 
respectable,  independent  yeomanry  of  the  land,  too  poor  to 
be  idle,  too  rich  to  accept  charity. 

It  was  necessary  that  a  hand  should  be  provided,  in  du& 
time,  to  lift  her  from  the  vale  where  she  had  hitherto  been 
so  safely  reared.  Thomas  White,  Esq.,  of  Ashfield,  kindly 
and  thoughtfully  afforded  his  aid.  He  was  like  a  father 
to  her,  not  merely  when,  at  length,  her  praise  filled  the 
22 


254  THE   GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

churches,  but  in  her  early  and  obscure  youth,  when  it  re- 
quired a  discerning  eye  to  see  the  masterpiece  as  yet  hid  in 
the  shapeless  marble.  The  many  essential  helps,  which,  as 
she  delighted  to  acknowledge,  he  lent  her,  when  she  was 
"  creeping  her  way  along "  to  usefulness,  belong  rather  to 
his  life  than  to  hers,  and  but  few  of  them  can  be  mentioned 
here.  They  were  not  so  very  costly  to  him,  but  they  were 
above  price  to  her ;  and,  left  undone,  we  cannot  see  how 
she  could  have  found  her  true  place  in  the  world's  history. 
He  did  not  dream  that  he  was  placing  a  new  star  in  the 
firmament,  whose  rays  would  gladden  thousands  along  the 
path  to  usefulness,  or  that  her  name  would  carry  his,  like 
sweet  incense,  to  every  quarter  of  the  globe.  But  he  did 
know  that  she  was  a  poor  girl,  with  a  'good  mind,  the  won- 
der of  all  her  teachers,  and  that  she  needed  help.  He  loved 
to  see  woman  educated,  and  he  freely  gave  her  counsel, 
sympathy,  influence,  and  often  a  charming  home  and  more 
substantial  aid.  Miss  Lyon  always  chose  to  bear  her  own 
pecuniary  burdens,  and  Mr.  White  would  not  probably  have 
thought  it  the  best  way  of  helping  her  to  assume  them  fully 
himself.  Hundreds  of  dollars  would  not  have  gone  so  far, 
in  helping  her  upward  ascent,  as  the  steady,  cordial,  efficient 
friendship  and  counsel  of  such  a  man.  With  it  came  also 
the  gentle  and  delicious  influence  of  a  highly-cultivated,  sen- 
sible, intelligent  lady,  the  wife  of  Mr.  White,  the  mother  of 
his  favored  children.  That  circle  of  brothers  and  sisters 
will,  for  Miss  Lyon's  sake,  pardon  the  giving  to  the  world 
what  she  more  privately  communicated  to  the  writer.  Her 
history  would  be  incomplete  without  this  notice. 

It  was  by  the  earnest  recommendation  of  Mr.  White,  that 
the  privileges  of  Sanderson  Academy  were  offered  her  gra- 
tuitously. It  was  by  his  persevering  arguments  and  persua- 
sion, that  the  person  who  had  charge  of  the  remainder  of 
her  patrimony  was  led  to  submit  the  mode  of  spending  it 
to  her  own  discretion,  when  she  wished  to  undertake  what 


A    FHIEND   IN    NEED.  255 

was  regarded  as  the  romantic  expedition  of  going  to  Byfield 
to  school. 

To  this  sum  she  added  what  she  had  been  able  to  save 
from  the  small  wages  of  seventy-five  cents  or  a  dollar  a 
week,  for  teaching  in  any  district  where  she  could  find  an 
opportunity,  and  a  few  more  dollars  which  she  had  earned  by 
weaving  heavy  blue  and  white  coverlets,  a  kind  of  work  re- 
quiring strength  equal  to  that  of  a  man,  and  therefore  com- 
manding more  pay  than  common  labor.  When,  with  these 
added  sums,  she  was  able  to  defray  her  expenses  for  a  sum- 
mer at  Byfield,  there  were  not,  as  now,  railroads ;  and  the 
three  days'  journey  was  made  in  Mr.  White's  carriage,  beside 
a  daughter  whom  he  was  conveying  to  school,  and  his  own 
hands  held  the  reins.  As  all  they  knew  of  the  place  was 
its  distance  from  Boston,  and  what  they  had  learned  from 
advertisements,  they  missed  their  road,  went  miles  out  of 
their  way,  and  could  find  no  one  who  had  ever  heard  of 
Byfield ;  and  Miss  Lyon,  with  all  her  courage,  took  turns 
with  the  friend  by  her  side  in  crying  like  a  child. 

It  was  also  by  the  earnest  arguments  of  Mr.  White  that 
she  was  afterwards  employed  as  an  assistant  in  Sanderson 
Academy.  The  principal  thought  that  he,  like  his  prede- 
cessors, needed  a  man  to  aid  him.  "  Try  her,"  said  Mr. 
White,  "  and  see  if  she  is  not  sufficient."  He  tried  her,  and 
found  her  a  host. 

W^hen  she  decided  to  leave  Ashfield  and  go  to  Deny,  he 
became  surety  for  her,  at  the  stores  in  Northampton,  for  over 
forty  dollars'  worth  of  clothing.  That  green  velvet  bag, 
which  seemed  to  the  Derry  and  Ipswich  scholars  to  have  a 
perpetual  life,  was  one  of  her  purchases  at  Northampton. 

As,  with  her  growing  success,  she  not  only  earned  the 
money  to  pay  her  debts,  but  was  able  to  lay  by  something 
for  a  sick  or  a  rainy  day,  Mr.  White  was  the  father  to 
whom  she  carried  her  savings,  who  husbanded  them  with 
care,  and  turned  them  over  for  her  with  his  own,  and,  with- 


256  THE    GKEAT    STRUGGLE, 

out  any  commission,  made  her  five  dollars  ten.  It  is  to  his 
careful  oversight,  as  well  as  to  her  strict  economy,  that  at 
her  decease  the  American  Board  received  so  considerable  a 
bequest  from  her  savings.  His  house  was  a  home  to  her  at 
any  and  at  all  times  after  she  went  to  Byfield,  She  entered 
without  knocking,  and  ever  met  with  a  hearty  welcome.  In 
the  midst  of  her  labors,  in  1836,  she  writes  to  a  daughter  of 
the  family,  "  When  I  am  wandering  about,  it  is  pleasant  and 
consoling  to  think  that  under  the  roof  of  your  dear  home  I 
can  have  a  resting-place  when  I  need."  We  can  almost  see 
her  now  shaking  hands  with  Mr.  White  at  the  door,  but  in- 
tent on  the  end  of  her  journey,  saying,  in  the  same  breath 
with,  "  How  do  you  all  do  .?  "  "  Could  you  take  me  over  to 
Hawley  to-night,  Mr.  White  .'"  "  Well,  come  in.  Miss  Lyon, 
and  we  will  see,"  he  would  answer,  "  Your  horses  in  the 
barn .'' "  she  would  ask,  hardly  seeming  to  heed  his  remark, 
"  I  want  to  see  about  some  furniture  for  the  new  seminary, 
and  I  must  take  the  stage  back  to-morrow  morning."  The 
ride  to  Hawley  would  be  accomplished,  the  warm  supper 
and  best  bed  awaited  her  return,  and  she  would  depart  the 
next  morning  with  the  blessing  of  her  old  friends.  They 
reached  the  end  of  life's  journey  but  a  little  before  her. 
The  following  letter  was  written  to  one  of  the  family  soon 
after  their  death  :  — 

"South  Hadlet,  Dec.  14,  1848. 
"  My  very  dear  Friend  : 

"  I  have  received  your  letter,  and  should  have  replied  im- 
mediately, but  I  wanted  to  write  a  little  besides,  on  mere 
business.  I  wanted  at  least  to  express  a  little  of  that  full 
heart  of  sympathy  which  I  have  had  in  your  behalf.  But 
now  a  severe  headache  on  the  one  hand,  and  a  conviction 
that  I  must  not  let  another  mail  pass  on  the  other,  will  give 
me  but  little  opportunity.  Allow  me  to  say,  that  in  the  be- 
reavements through  which  you  have  passed,  I,  too,  have  felt 
that  I  had  lost  a  father  and  a  mother.     Who  else  living  has 


LETTER   TO    MISS    W.  257 

any  such  claim,  comparatively,  to  a  place  in  my  heart? 
These  events  have  brought  fresh  to  my  mind  my  first  ac- 
quaintance with  your  dear -family,  and  the  many  acts  of 
unfeigned  friendship,  which  I  received,  as  I  was  creeping 
my  way  along  toward  an  humble  place  in  my  Master's  ser- 
vice. In  a  very  special  manner  do  I  remember  your  father's 
great  parental  kindness  to  me.  With  what  a  cheering  face 
would  he  ask  me  to  come  directly  to  his  house  from  the 
stage,  and  depend  on  him  to  carry  me  to  see  dear  mother, 
just  as  if  he  expected  it,  and  in  a  way  to  make  me  feel  per- 
fectly at  home  !  Your  house  has  indeed  been  to  me  a  sweet 
home !  I  must  go  and  see  that  dear  home  before  it  is 
broken  up. 

"  I  have  many  things  which  I  want  to  say,  but  cannot  with 
pen  and  ink.  Shortly,  I  hope,  I  may  see  you  face  to  face. 
If  there  is  any  time  that  I  should  not  find  you  at  home, 
please  write  and  let  me  know.  I  wish  I  could  meet  your 
brother,  and  his  wife  also,  it  would  seem  so  much  like  meet- 
ing a  remnant  of  the  family." 

Miss  Lyon  never  forgot  her  old  friends.  Their  names, 
faces,  and  kind  deeds  were  treasured  in  the  depths  of  her 
capacious  soul,  and  if  she  did  not  turn  the  leaf  to  read  them 
every  day,  it  was  not  for  lack  of  love,  but  of  leisure.  There 
was  always  some  one  in  the  circle  of  her  friends  in  whom 
her  heart  rested,  with  whom  she  loved  to  talk  over  her  own 
affairs,  opinions,  and  feelings,  and  to  whom  she  confided  a 
thousand  little  interests,  which  concerned  nobody  but  herself. 
Open  and  frank  to  all,  she  was  completely  transparent  to 
this  chosen  friend. 

Miss  Lyon  never  had  a  secret  that  required  the  veil  of 
night  to  screen  it.  In  commenting  on  the  passage,  "  Blessed 
are  the  pure  in  heart,"  she  used  to  tell  her  pupils  that  this 
characteristic  designated  such  blamelessness  of  word  and 
deed,  that  its  possessor  need  not  blush  to  see  any  thought  of 
22* 


258  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

hers  written,  in  capital  letters,  on  the  white  wall  back  of  her, 
and  fronting  the  whole  school.  Her  own  words  were  con- 
formed to  this  standard.  Her  soul  was  refined  and  pure. 
Whatever  faults  she  had  lay  on  the  outside.  Nothing  but 
pearls  and  diamonds  fell  from  her  lips.  In  seasons  of  the 
most  intimate  communion,  her  words  were  often  apples  of 
gold,  which  one  could  have  wished  to  preserve  in  pictures 
of  silver.  Among  the  multitude  of  friends  she  left,  none 
can  be  found  who  entertain  a  higher  estimate  of  her  worth 
than  the  four  who  successively  held  the  highest  place  in  her 
affections. 

Amanda  W.  was  the  first  of  these  favored  ones.  Miss 
Lyon  used  to  designate  her  as  "  my  earliest  friend."  Their 
intimacy  was  both  rational  and  romantic.  Miss  Lyon  often 
.likened  it  to  the  love  between  David  and  Jonathan.  Its  com- 
mencement, while  they  were  in  their  teens,  and  members 
of  the  Sanderson  Academy,  has  been  described  in  a  letter 
of  the  survivor.  They  studied  the  same  books,  and  under 
the  guidance  of  their  teacher,  Mr.  Burritt,  they  calculated 
eclipses  and  made  an  almanac  together.  Miss  Lyon  could 
learn  all  the  faster  by  the  side  of  her  beloved  Amanda.  On 
religiofts  subjects  they  had  full  fellowship  with  one  another. 
They  walked  to  the  house  lof  God  in  company,  and  while 
there  Miss  Lyon  loved  to  steal  a  glance  at  her  friend,  as  they 
listened  to  the  same  discourse,  and  the  consciousness  that 
they  were  both  enjoying  the  same  thoughts  would  double 
her  high  pleasure.  She  had  a  woman's  heart  along  with  a 
masculine  understanding. 

There  came  a  time  when  this  love  was  tested.  She  was 
impatient  of  a  rival.  But  as  they  pursued  their  onward 
course,  a  home  missionary  found  out  where  Amanda  W. 
lived.  The  result  can  easily  be  guessed.  One  was  taken, 
the  other  left.  For  a  time  there  was  a  struggle  in  Miss 
Lyon's  loving  heart ;  but  she  soon  resigned  the  first  place 
with  a  good  grace.     None  but  an  unmarried  lady,  similarly 


HER    EARLIEST    FRIEND.  259 

situated,  can  understand  the  conflict  which  such  an  engage- 
ment may  occasion.  Once  passed,  Miss  Lyon  rejoiced  that 
her  friend  was  mated  to  her  mind,  and  was  to  walk  the  ways 
of  life  with  one  who  truly  appreciated  her,  and  who  would 
not  fail  to  give  her  the  place  in  his  family  and  circle  of  ac- 
quaintance that  of  right  belongs  to  the  wife  of  an  educated 
man.  She  was  happy  in  seeing  them  all  in  all  to  one  another. 
When  a  letter  arrived  in  his  well-known  hand,  she  would  be 
as  glad  for  Amanda  as  Amanda  for  herself.  She  often 
spoke  of  the  eloquent  look  with  which  the  husband  would 
gaze  on  her  friend  after  she  was  legally  his.  To  the  few 
who  were  privileged  with  Miss  Lyon's  most  entire  confidence, 
nothing  is  more  wonderful,  than  that  she,  who  never  had 
husband  or  children,  could  so  fully  and  easily  sympathize 
in  all  the  mysteries  of  we*dded  and  parental  love.  Though 
she  never  added  match-making  to  her  multitudinous  cares 
and  labors,  she  always  congratulated  her  friends  on  making 
such  as  suited  them.  However  she  may,  now  and  then, 
have  regretted  parting  with  a  prominent  and  efficient  fellow- 
laborer,  however  she  might  try,  —  while  the  question  was  under 
consideration,  to  prove  that  the  opportunity  was  a  temptation 
to  be  shunned,  rather  than  an  opening  to  be  entered,  —  yet, 
when  the  matter  was  once  settled,  no  word  of  regret  ever 
escaped  her  lips.  She  would  aid  in  the  necessary  prepara- 
tions, and  the  lady's  own  mother  would  not  have  felt  more 
pained  at  a  disappointment. 

In  due  time,  Miss  W.  was  married.  The  last  farewell 
was  spoken,  and  the  friends  separated,  each  going  to  her 
own  appointed  work.  For  a  time  the  correspondence  was 
brisk  and  regular.  They  whispered  one  another's  names, 
evening  and  morning,  at  the  mercy  seat,  before  their  com- 
mon Redeemer.  But  time  kept  pressing  new  duties  into  the 
domain  of  each.  Miss  Lyon  felt  the  need  of  a  present  inti- 
mate friend,  and  made  choice  of  another.  She  went  on 
adding  store  to  store,  and  friend  to  friend,  the  favor  of  man 


260  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE, 

to  the  favor  of  God.  Her  life  became  identified  with  the 
history  of  female  education  in  New  England.  Her  success- 
ful labors  were  an  era  in  its  annals.  Her  early  friend  had 
been  busy  in  a  different  way,  and  her  oldest  daughter,  grown 
to  woman's  size,  had  found  a  welcome  home  in  Mount  Hol- 
yoke  Female  Seminary.  Urged  by  her  aged  parents,  the 
mother,  once  the  youthful  Amanda,  came  from  the  west  to 
visit  her  native  hills.  She  went  first  to  South  Hadley,  but 
as  it  was  anniversary  week,  there  was  no  room  for  her 
in  the  inn.  She  asked  the  landlord  to  provide  her  a  room  in 
the  neighborhood,  but  he  told  her  he  knew  of  none  that  was 
not  already  engaged.  "  Do  you  not  know  Miss  Lyon,"  said 
he.  "  I  did  know  her  a  good  many  years  ago,"  she  replied. 
"  Well,  go  right  to  her,"  he  said ;  "  she  will  find  you  a ' 
place."  The  lady  hesitated.  Her  own  name  was  strange 
in  that  region  of  the  country.  Miss  Lyon's  was  known  every 
where.  The  young  woman  whom  she  had  left,  twenty  years 
before,  unknown  and  unnoticed,  it  was  the  fashion  to  call 
the  wonder  of  the  age.  She  hardly  expected  to  be  remem- 
bered, much  less  to  be  known. 

She  found  her  way  to  the  seminary,  was  waited  on  into 
the  parlor,  and  word  was  sent  to  Miss  Lyon  that  a  lady 
would  like  to  see  her.  The  messenger  soon  returned,  in- 
structed to  conduct  her  to  Miss  Lyon's  private  parlor.  The 
climate,  the  fever  and  chills  peculiar  to  it,  hard  work,  and 
spiritual  expenditures  had  altered  Mrs.  F.  She  looked  ser- 
vice-worn, and  really  needed  labelling.  Her  old  friend,  on 
the  contrary,  dressed  in  her  best  style,  and  flushed  with  the 
excitement  of  the  occasion,  was  so  unchanged  in  form,  fea- 
ture, complexion,  and  manner,  that  Mrs.  F.  would  have 
known  her  in  the  centre  of  Europe.  She  held  back  the 
rush  of  her  heart,  and,  after  the  first  civilities  had  passed, 
said,  in  a  common  tone  of  voice,  and  with  a  calm  aspect, 
"  I  called  to  see  if  I  could  have  a  room  at  the  seminary." 
Miss  Lyon  was  standing.     She  began  to  rub  one  "hand  over 


MEETING   WITH   HEE    OLD   FRIEND.  261 

the  other,  and  to  balance  herself  first  on  one  foot  and  then 
on  the  other,  in  just  the  style  we  have  all  seen  her  when  she 
was  placed  in  embarrassing  circumstances,  and  to  say  she 
was  very  sorry,  but  at  this  time  they  were  full,  and  asked 
her  if  she  could  not  get  a  room  at  the  public  house  ;  it  was 
a  very  good  house,  she  believed.  "  I  have  been  there," 
replied  her  friend,  "  and  they  sent  me  to  you."  Well, 
Miss  Lyon  said,  really  she  did  not  know  what  could  be  done, 
but  at  the  examinations  their  rooms  were  all  engaged  ;  she 
was  sorry,  very  sorry,  but  they  could  not  receive  her.  "  I 
don't  think  you  know  me.  Miss  Lyon,"  was  the  short  and 
familiar  reply.  The  tone  and  words  were  electric.  "  O, 
yes,  I  do  know  you,  Amanda,  I  do  know  you !  There  is 
room,  there  is  room!"  she  exclaimed,  clasping  her  to  her 
heart,  just  as  she  used  to  do  when  they  were  young  together, 
while  the  tears  streamed  down  her  cheeks,  and  her  struggles 
of  alTectionate  joy  forbade  her  speaking  in  sentences  of  any 
great  length.  By  crowding  scholars  together  more  than  be- 
fore, a  good  room  was  provided  for  the  stranger's  use ;  and 
while  she  tarried  at  the  seminary,  no  attention  was  omitted 
that  would  contribute  to  her  comfort  or  gratification. 

Miss  Lyon  ever  regarded  her  connection  with  Mr.  Emer- 
son's school  as  an  important  era  in  her  life.  In  conversation 
with  Mr.  Hawks,  only  a  short  time  before  her  death,  she  re- 
marked that  she  owed  more  to  Mr.  Emerson  than  to  any 
other  teacher.  In  teaching,  no  less  than  in  learning,  it  is  of 
the  greatest  consequence  to  get  a  right  start,  and  she  always 
felt  she  first  received  that  from  Mr.  Emerson.  Previous  to 
her  enjoying  his  instruction,  the  intellect  rather  than  the 
heart  had  occupied  her  attention ;  from  him  she  learned  to 
give  to  each  its  due  pFoportion.  I  asked  her  once  about  the 
story  of  her  learning  the  Latin  grammar  through  in  three 
days.  "  O,"  she  replied,  "  It  was  at  one  of  those  schools 
where  they  do  nothing  but  study  and  recite;  not  at  all  so 
good  for  the  character  as  Mr.  Emerson's.     You  just  learned 


262  THE    GREAT    STEUGGLE. 

• 

what  was  in  the  book.  I  traced  out  the  likenesses  and  dif- 
ferences among  the  declensions  and  conjugations,  and  could 
commit  any  thing  to  memory  quick,  when  I  was  young ; 
and  as  to  the  rules  of  syntax,  they  are  so  much  like  those 
in  English  grammar  that  it  did  not  take  long  to  learn  them. 
So  you  see,"  she  said,  "  it  was  no  great  feat  after  all."  She 
went  on  to  praise  Mr.  Emerson's  school  as  the  one  where 
she  treasured  up  great  principles  of  action,  and  met  with  a 
complete  change  as  to  her  views  on  education. 

Any  one  who  is  curious  enough  to  leave  the  cars  at  Lynn, 
and  ride  out  to  Saugus,  or  at  Newburyport,  and  ride  out  to 
Byfield,  will  find  that  it  was  neither  peculiar  beauties  of 
scenery,  elegant  edifices,  nor  superior  accommodations,  that 
drew  the  hundreds  of  young  ladies  around  that  venerated . 
man.  Difficult  is  it  to  realize  that  these  are  the  spots  where 
so  many  young  ladies  once  assembled  to  garner  up  thoughts 
and  principles,  making  a  circle  blessed  with  as  much  sense, 
vivacity,  and  intelligence  as  is  gathered  in  any  of  our  female 
seminaries  of  the  present  day,  though  that  be  saying  a 
great  deal. 

The  Memoir  of  Mr.  Emerson,  published  by  Crocker  & 
Brewster,  Boston,  in  1834,  contains  a  valuable  letter  of  Miss 
Lyon,  in  which  she  takes  up  his  views  of  female  education, 
and  his  treatment  of  ladies.  That  letter  gives  a  clew  to  the 
great  success  he  attained  in  his  efforts  to  extend  and  improve 
female  education.  While  he  admitted  that,  in  some  respects, 
woman  is  the  weaker  half,  he  contended  that  she  was  made 
for  something  better  than  ornament,  show,  or  household 
drudgery,  and  honored  her  with  conversation  as  sensible  and 
elevated  as  he  bestowed  on  his  fellow-man.  In  nature  and 
providence  his  ears  were  open  to  the  voice  of  God,  calling 
on  woman  to  be  the  principal  educator  of  her  own  sex  and  of 
children  of  both  sexes,  and  his  own  heart  and  voice  echoed 
back  the  heavenly  call.  He  took  the  high  Christian  ground, 
80  grateful  to  the  mind  of  every  thinking  woman,  that  she  is 


MR.  Emerson's  views  anb  inpluence.  263 

intended  to  be  neither  the  slave  nor  the  pet,  but  the  compan- 
ion, of  man,  the  partner  of  his  thoughts,  as  well  as  the 
assistant  in  his  devotions.  All  his  plans  and  efforts  for 
female  education  were  founded  on  this  assumption.  The 
wife  of  his  youth,  his  first  and  early  love,  a  bright  intelli- 
gence, was  the  mate  of  his  understanding  as  well  as  of  his 
heart.  His  second  wife,  who  was  also  early  snatched  from 
his  side,  possessed  splendid  talents,  a  keen  relish  for  litera- 
ture, and  brilliant  powers  of  conversation.  If  Miss  Lyon's 
remark,  that  "  men  judge  of  the  whole  sex  by  their  own 
wives,"  be  just,  Mr.  Emerson's  sentiments  on  that  subject  pay 
an  invaluable  compliment  to  all  the  ladies  who  were  called 
to  sustain  to  him  that  endearing  relation.  Whatever  may 
have  been  the  occasion,  Mr.  Emerson  could  perceive  and 
value  mental  acumen  and  moral  worth  in  one  sex  as  easily 
as  in  the  other.  In  the  letter  referred  to  above.  Miss  Lyon 
says  that  he  regarded  learning  without  discretion  just  as  Sol- 
omon did  beauty  in  the  like  case.  Every  female  sfeminary 
in  New  England,  whose  aim  it  is  to  train  young  women  to 
discriminate  nicely  in  ethics,  to  see  the  wrong,  and  yet  the 
right  pursue,  to  discipline  their  mental  faculties,  to  enrich 
their  minds  with  varied  and  practical  knowledge,  and  to  ren- 
der them  fit  companions  in  hours  of  thought  and  effort,  and 
able  help-meets  In  the  emergencies  of  life,  owes  much  to 
Mr.  Emerson's  humble,  unpretending,  and  happy  efforts. 
He  turned  the  attention  of  ladies  at  school  from  the  fancy 
work  of  the  fingers  to  the  great  subjects  of  thought  in  sci- 
ence and  religion.  He  discussed  with  them  questions  in 
metaphysics,  such  as  had  been  before  mostly  shut  up  for  the 
divine  and  his  theological  student.  ^  He  knew  how  to  draw 
out  the  latent  thoughts  which  the  possessor  was  scarce  con- 
scious of  entertfining.  His  active  mind  was  constantly 
throwing  out  its  rich  and  varied  meditations  in  the  form  of 
apt  and  ingenious  questions. 

Mr.  Emerson  had  two  classes  of  pupils.     The  one,  sent 


264  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

by  their  parents,  and  too  young  or  immature  to  appreciate 
his  lectures,  yawned,  and  wondered  when  he  would  get 
through  ;  yet  most  of  them  carried  away  so  much  of  his 
counsels  and  instructions  as  to  make  them  better  educators, 
when  they  came  to  be  teachers  and  mothers,  than  they  oth- 
erwise would  have  been. 

The  other  class  had  lived  Long  enough  to  know  the  value 
of  a  good  education,  and  deeply  to  feel  their  own  need  of  it. 
When  they  cheerfully  denied  themselves  luxuries,  and  made 
other  efforts  to  aid  their  brothers  in  acquiring  a  liberal  edu- 
cation, they  could  not  always  refrain  from  sighing,  and  say- 
ing to  themselves,  "  O,  there  is  no  college  for  girls  to  go  to !  " 
Mr.  Emerson's  seminary,  better  than  any  thing  else,  met  the 
deep  inward  wants  of  this  class ;  and  they  left  their  homes, 
the  schools  they  were  teaching,  and  their  other  engagements, 
to  enjoy  for  a  term  or  two  his  instructions.  Some,  too  deep- 
ly involved  in  business  to  go  themselves,  used  all  their  influ- 
ence, and  made  every  exertion,  to  give  to  a  younger  sister 
the  privileges  they  felt  obliged  to  forego  for  themselves. 

All  the  pupils  caught  more  or  less  of  the  sentiments  of 
Mr.  Emerson,  but  on  the  class  just  described  not  a  word 
was  lost.  They  profited  by  every  exercise  —  scientific, 
moral,  and  religious.  All  the  scholars  felt  that  their  teacher 
was  a  good  man,  living  in  such  nearness  tcT  God  and  to  eter- 
nity that  unseen  things  were  to  him  substance ;  while  this 
class  emphatically  responded  to  his  sentiments,  and  adopted 
the  great  principle  on  which  his  daily  conduct  was  based  — 
that  of  doing  the  greatest  good  to  the  largest  number  for  the 
longest  possible  time. 

The  school  at  Byfield  was  superior  to  any  that  Miss  Lyon 
had  ever  attended,  in  the  society  of  mature  and  cultivated 
minds  which  it  afforded  ;  in  giving  the  first  place  to  efforts 
for  enlisting  its  pupils  in  the  work  of  blessing  the  world, 
and  in  leading  them  to  adopt  principles  of  faith  and  action ; 
in  making  the   Bible   prominent  among  its  text  books,  and 


CONDUCT  TOWARD  HER  TEACHERS.         265 

referring  all  questions  of  ethics  to  its  decisions ;  and  in  aim- 
ing immediately  at  the  conversion  of  sinners  and  the  edifica- 
tion of  Christians.  Many  there  learned  the  way  of  salvation, 
some  entering  its  strait  gate  under  the  eye  of  their  heavenly- 
minded  instructor  ;  others  treasured  up  his  instructions,  and, 
months  or  years  after  they  left  the  seminary,  turned  their 
feet  into  the  path  pointed  out  by  their  beloved  teacher. 

Mr.  Emerson's  was  the  first  of  a  series  of  schools  open 
and  inviting  to  young  ladies  who  had  taught,  who  expected 
to  teach,  or  whose  age  and  circumstances  indicated  that  they 
were  soon  to  enter  into  active  life  in  situations  of  responsi- 
bility and  influence. 

Miss  Lyon's  prodigious  powers  of  mind,  her  docility,  her 
good  will  to  all  about  her,  and  her  unclouded  temper,  made 
her  from  the  first  an  object  of  special  interest  to  her  teach- 
ers and  companions.  No  pupil  of  her  own  was  ever  more 
industrious,  more  yielding,  or  more  respectful.  At  twenty- 
four  years  of  age,  and  after  having  taught  for  several  sea- 
sons, her  obedience  and  submission  were  as  implicit  as  she 
ever  desired  to  see  in  her  own  scholars.  When,  at  any  sub- 
sequent period,  a  self-sufiicient  pupil  endeavored  to  thwart 
her  plans,  she  was  not  compelled  to  reflect,  "  This  is  the 
way  I  used  to  treat  my  teachers."  It  is  worthy  of  remark 
that  very  generally,  and  some  years  with  scarce  an  excep- 
tion, her  scholars  were  all  like  herself  in  this  respect,  one 
with  her  in  plans  and  efforts.  Truly,  as  she  meted  out  love 
and  trust  to  her  teachers,  in  that  summer  of  1821,  so  were 
love  and  trust  measured  out  to  her  for  years  afterwards. 
While  her  instructors  took  delight  in  their  pupil,  and  sought 
to  mould  her  wonderful  powers  aright,  she  in  gratitude, 
spoken  and  unspoken,  treasured  up  every  hint,  and  endeav- 
ored to  put  it  in  immediate  practice.  With  fear  and  trem- 
bling, uncertain  whether  she  were  saint  or  sinner,  she  ven- 
tured to  class  herself  with  those  who  loved  the  Lord ;  and  in 
no  knowledge  did  she  grow  faster  than  in  that  of  God  and 
23 


266  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

his  will.  How  often  have  her  pupils  heard  her  quote  the 
precepts  and  sayings  of  "  my  beloved  teacher,  now  in  heav- 
en," the  style  in  which  she  always  spoke  of  him  after  his 
removal  thither ! 

At  Byfield,  Miss  Lyon  became  acquainted  with  Miss  Z.  P. 
Grant,  a  teacher  in  Mr.  Emerson's  school.  No  one  person 
probably  had  such  unlimited  sway  over  her,  for  any  ten  years 
of  her  adult  life,  as  had  Miss  Grant  for  the  ten  in  which  they 
were  associated  together.  Miss  Lyon  justly  attributed  very 
much  of  the  shaping  of  her  aims,  plans,  and  efforts  to  this 
companion  of  her  toils  and  friend  of  her  soul. 

It  was  a  part  of  her  providential  training  that  she  should 
be  thrown  for  years  under  the  strong  and  permanent  influ- 
ence of  one  who  could  appreciate  her  talents,  perceive  her 
power,  and  foresee,  to  some  extent,  her  future  eminence,  and 
who,  at  the  same  time,  felt  solemnly  responsible  to  God  to  do 
all  that  in  her  lay  to  render  this  younger  friend  morS  meet 
for  the  employment  of  their  common  Savior.  Justice  to  the 
dead  will  allow  no  less  to  be  said  of  the  living.  Her  love 
and  esteem  for  Miss  Grant  were  undiminished  with  passing 
years.  Who,  of  all  her  Holyoke  pupils  that  heard  her,  can 
ever  forget  the  unaffected  glow  with  which  she  would  an- 
nounce to  them,  that  her  particular  friend.  Miss  Grant,  of 
whom  they  had  often  heard  her  speak,  had  come  to  make 
her^a  little  visit!  and  how  her  face  would  shine,  as,  smiling 
through  her  tears  of  joy,  she  would  tell  them  that  she  wanted 
they  should  all  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity  to  go  to 
the  parlor  and  be  introduced  to  her  ! 

May  the  writer,  as  the  friend  and  pupil  of  both,  be  allowed 
to  ask,  who,  with  more  unmixed  delight  than  Miss  Grant, 
witnessed  the  increase  of  Miss  Lyon's  power,  her  growing 
mflnence  and  fame  ?  It  gave  her  only  joy  to  see  her  younger 
and  healthier  friend,  whom  God  had  called  to  build  the 
temple  which  it  had  been  in  her  own  heart  to  build,  in- 
crease, while  she  felt  that  she  herself  must  decrease.     With 


MISS  lyon's  buckland  scholars.  267 

admiratioD,  she  saw  her  grow  in  favor  with  God  and  man. 
It  was  with  reverence,  as  she  met  her  from  year  to  year,  in 
South  Hadley  or  Newburyport,  that  she  saw  her  becoming 
more  and  more  assimilated  in  moral  loveliness  to  the  blessed 
God.  She  could  not  entirely  forget  that,  in  those  years  in 
which  they  had  daily  intercourse  with  one  another,  she  had 
assisted  Miss  Lyon  to  walk  more  firmly  in  the  ways  of  piety, 
and  to  grasp  closer  the  Savior's  hand.  Yet  she  loved,  in  her 
turn,  to  open  her  own  heart  to  her  friend,  to  stimulate  herself 
by  learning,  that  she,  who  once  doubted  whether  she  loved 
Jesus  at  all,  now  felt  herself  as  truly  and  as  surely  accepted 
of  him  as  she  had  ever  felt  herself  accepted  of  an  earthly 
friend.  How  precious  to  Mrs.  B.,  in  their  late  interviews,  to 
hear  her  dwell  almost  with  ecstasy  on  the  name  and  perfec- 
tions of  the  blessed  Immanuel,  and  to  see  how  entirely  the 
fibres  of  her  soul  seemed  interwoven  with  the  interests  of 
his  kingdom  and  the  glories  of  his  character  ! 

Who  mourns  more  truly  her  own  loss  ?  Who  sympathizes 
more  deeply  in  the  joy  of  the  happy  saint  than  this  beloved 
associate  of  her  early  years  .''  Late,  but  sure,  may  she  have 
a  seat  by  her  side,  and  renew  those  sensible  communings 
which  are  now  for  a  season  interrupted. 

Miss  Lyon's  school  at  Buckland,  which  was  truly  the  germ 
of  the  Mount  Holyoke  Female  Seminary,  was  composed 
mainly,  as  has  been  seen,  of  young  women  who  had  been 
trained  to  wait  on  themselves,  to  consider  the  mind  more 
than  raiment,  and  education  better  than  the  most  palatable 
dainties.  Equally  removed  from  luxurious  effeminacy  and 
abject  dependence,  neither  fearing  the  rich  nor  despising 
the  poor,  they  sought  to  turn  their  time  and  means  to  the 
best  account,  to  make  the  most  they  could  of  themselves 
for  the  high  purposes  of  usefulness  and  duty.  Their  minds 
and  hearts  were  open  to  receive  the  great  truths  and  princi- 
ples which  Miss  Lyon  revelled  in  presenting,  and,  as  it  were, 
infusing  into  the  minds  of  others.      Becoming  acceptable 


268  THE    GREAT    STKUUULK. 

teachers  in  that  part  of  the  state,  they  made  Miss  Lyon 
known  as  a  capable,  efficient,  and  benevolent  woman,  un- 
tiring in  her  efforts  to  benefit  the  young.  "  O,"  said  Miss 
Lyon,  in  after  years,  "  how  I  used  to  enjoy  my  labors  in  the 
western  part  of  the  state  !  and  how  hard  it  was  to  me  to 
break  away  from  that  beloved  spot !  I  used  to  wish  I  could 
find  some  retreat  in  the  woods  where  I  could  gather  all  the 
young  women,  and  explain  to  them  the  great  principles  of 
benevolence,  and  set  them  to  doing  good,"  What  she  was 
able  to  do,  only  revealed  the  more  fully  what  remained  to  be 
done.  She  often  quoted  a  remark  of  Dr.  Lyman  Beecher's, 
"  The  wear  and  tear  of  what  I  cannot  do  is  a  great  deal 
more  than  the  wear  and  tear  of  what  1  do."  Of  the  few^ 
comparatively,  for  whom  she  labored  there,  she  lived  to  see 
some  eminently  useful.  Their  history  would  exhibit  the 
fruit  of  Miss  Lyon's  labors,  fruit  "  whose  seed  is  in  itself," 
thus  yielding  its  hundred  fold. 

One  of  those  pupils  may  be  referred  to  as  a  specimen. 
For  six  successive  winters  she  was  under  Miss  Lyon's  care. 
With  her  she  studied  arithmetic  and  grammar,  geography 
and  history,  astronomy  and  chemistry.  With  Miss  Lyon, 
too,  she  studied  the  Bible,  and,  under  its  light  and  guidance, 
sought  first  the  kingdom  of  heaven  and  its  righteousness ; 
and  from  this  early  choice  she  has  never  wavered.  Her 
mother  had  trained  her  to  habits  of  courtesy,  self-denial, 
and  patient  labor.  There  was  but  little  in  her  external  life 
to  alter,  when  she  subscribed  herself  the  Lord's.  Her  habits 
are  all  unobtrusive.  Her  spirit  preferred,  and  prefers,  re- 
tirement. But  she  learned  from  her  teacher  that  the  busi- 
ness of  her  ransomed  spirit,  while  it  is  permitted  to  taber- 
nacle in  clay,  should  be  to  make  this  world  the  better  for 
her  presence  in  it.  Who,  save  the  pupils  themselves,  can 
ever  know  the  impressive  manner  in  which  Miss  Lyon  could 
say,  "  O  young  ladies,  as  they  bear  your  body  to  its  resting- 
place,  may  all  who  have  known  vou  be  able  to  say,  '  She 


A  PATTERN  SCHOLAK  AND  TEACHER.         269 

hath  done  what  she  could  ! '  "  Thus  educated,  and  thus  im- 
pressed, this  beloved  pupil  of  Miss  Lyon,  some  sixteen  years 
ago,  left  her  father's  rural  home,  closed  behind  her  that 
pleasant  chamber,  so  comfortably  and  neatly  furnished,  bade 
farewell  to  the  superior  privileges  of  New  England  society, 
and  took  up  her  abode  in  a  western  territory.  Miss  Lyon's 
blessing  went  with  her,  and  the  blessing  of  many  has  fallen 
upon  her  since.  She  became  an  inmate  in  the  house  of  a 
married  sister,  who,  as  to  the  good  things  of  this  life,  was 
far  differently  situated  from  their  parents  in  the  old  country. 
In  a  small  room  of  their  small  house,  she  opened  a  school 
for  any  who  wanted  instruction.  Fifteen  timidly  came  in. 
She  took  them,  such  as  they  were,  French,  Dutch,  and  Yan- 
kees, taught  them  what  they  most  needed  to  know,  spent 
time,  energy  and  pains  upon  them,  as  though  they  had  been 
princes,  and  she  were  to  be  richly  remunerated  for  her 
labors.  Plain  in  her  person,  and  simple  in  her  manners, 
almost  as  much  out  of  sight  as  moles  or  miners,  she  labored 
to  do  good  to  those  fifteen  youthful  minds.  Others  soon 
came  in.  The  private  dwelling  becoming  too  strait  for  the 
school,  the  next  year  a  house  was  built  for  its  accommoda- 
tion. The  number  of  pupils  often  exceeds  one  hundred. 
Very  many  of  the  younger  people  of  that  region  have  been 
under  her  instruction.  Her  youngest  scholars  are  children 
unable  to  speak  plain  ;  her  oldest,  in  the  winter,  are  often 
masters  and  sailors  of  the  vessels  that  ply  on  the  lakes  in 
summer,  and  these  are  among  her  most  docile,  studious,  and 
agreeable  pupils.  On  the  Sabbath,  when  there  is  preaching 
in  the  school-house,  it  is  her  business  to  keep  her  little  schol- 
ars in  due  order.  When  they  are  not  favored  with  preaching, 
as  well  as  when  they  are,  the  Sabbath  school  is  held  in  this 
same  school-house,  in  which,  besides  being  the  superintend- 
ent, she  has  charge  of  a  class  of  twenty  of  the  younger 
scholars.  Every  one  in  that  part  of  the  state  —  for  it  is  no 
longer  a  territory  —  knows  her,  loves  her,  and  reverences  her. 
23* 


270  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

The  man  who  represents  the  town  in  which  she  lives,  in  the 
state  legislature,  at  this  very  writing,  was  for  ten  years  her 
pupil.  Perhaps  Miss  Lyon  herself,  in  the  same  situation, 
could  hardly  have  been  more  useful  than  this  lady.  A  num- 
ber of  her  schoolmates  at  Buckland  and  Ashfield  have  been 
called  to  labor  among  the  heathen  in  lands  beyond  the  seas  ; 
and  though  they  may  be  more  conspicuous,  they  are  not 
more  self-denying,  more  patient,  or  more  Christ-like.  Her 
vacations  are  short.  The  one  room  of  her  narrow  school- 
house  is  her  dwelling  for  the  most  of  her  waking  hours. 
When  she  can  stand  the  additional  labor,  she  opens  it  for  an 
evening  school  in  grammar,  spelling,  and  the  like,  and  among 
her  pupils  come  parents  as  well  as  children.  Some  from 
the  old  countries  have  learned  at  this  evening  school  to  read, 
write,  and  cipher.  She  has  always  on  hand  stockings  to 
knit,  or  garments  to  make  for  the  orphans  and  the  destitute 
among  her  varied  flock.  While  she  is  doing  much  service 
for  her  Master,  chills  and  fever,  toil  and  time,  are  bringing 
her  nearer  every  week  to  his  glorious  face.  A  few  more 
years,  and  her  humble  soul,  laying  aside  its  weary,  aching, 
and  way-worn  tenement,  shall  pass  the  portals  of  heaven, 
and  enter  on  its  promised  rest.  What  a  happiness  to  Miss 
Lyon,  as  she  looks  from  her  Father's  presence,  from  the 
heights  of  heaven,  on  this  distant  ball,  the  scene  of  her 
earthly  labors,  to  behold  not  one,  but  many  such  streams  of 
influence,  destined  to  deepen  and  widen  as  long  as  earth  and 
time  shall  endure  !  She  has  had  many  equals  In  disciplining 
minds  and  imparting  information  ;  she  has  had  few  in  train- 
ing characters  for  usefulness  and  happiness.  The  durable 
impression  for  good  that  has  been  made  on  the  multitude  of 
living  minds  brought  under  her  control ;  the  intellect  unrolled 
in  her  presence,  on  which,  by  God's  grace.  Holiness  to  the 
Lord  has  been  inscribed  in  deathless  letters ;  the  hearts  of 
immortals,  starting  on  an  unending  existence,  which  have 
been  swayed  aright ;  the  souls  which,  under  the  influence  of 


EFFECT    OF    THE    BUCKLAND    SCHOOL.  271 

her  fervid  eloquence,  have  been  kindled  with  zeal  to  go  and 
do  likewise  ;  —  the  greatest  of  her  privileges  is  to  have  been  a 
co-worker  with  God  in  bringing  about  such  results  ;  this,  and 
nothing  less,  is  the  imperishable  work  of  her  life.  Its  fruits 
must  meet  her,  not  only  when  she  glances  from  heaven  to 
earth,  but  at  every  turn  of  her  walks  in  paradise.  The 
brick  walls,  the  library,  the  apparatus  at  South  Hadley,  nay, 
even  the  cheapening  of  education  to  the  daughters  of  our 
country,  were  but  the  external  conditions  to  this  work,  and 
valuable  only  as  Uiey  conduced  to  its  accomplishment. 

It  was  the  good  spirit  and  happy  efforts  of  her  pupils  at 
Buckland  and  Ashfield  that  recommended  Miss  Lyon's  enter- 
prise to  the  sensible,  industrious,  independent  citizens  of  that 
part  of  the  state.  It  was  at  a  comparatively  early  period  in 
its  history,  that  such  men  as  Mr.  David  Mack,  of  Middle- 
field,  and  Mr.  Roger  Leavitt,  of  Heath,  put  their  shoulders 
to  the  wheel.  They  were  both,  at  that  time,  old  men.  Miss 
Lyon  went  to  see  them,  and  laid  her  plans  before  them. 
Recollecting  how  much  they  had  seen  her  accomplish  in  her 
winter  school,  they  had  faith  in  her  ability  as  well  as  in  her 
benevolence.  Mr.  Mack  subscribed  five  hundred  dollars. 
Colonel  Leavitt,  a  well-known  friend  to  emancipation,  inquired 
whether  she  would  receive  colored  young  women  into  the 
school,  and  seemed  at  first  unwilling  to  contribute,  unless  she 
would  pledge  herself  to  do  so.  They  discussed  the  subject 
some  time.  She  said  that  it  was  a  matter  for  the  trustees 
rather  than  herself  to  act  upon,  but  for  her  own  par-t  she 
would  have  no  objection,  provided  the  young  women  should 
be  qualified  according  to  the  requirements  for  other  pupils, 
and  she  presumed  the  trustees  would  have  none.  He  sub- 
scribed according  to  his  ability  without  any  more  definite 
pledge. 

For  the  first  year,  the  school  was  a  very  difficult  one. 
The  building  was  hardly  finished  when  it  commenced  ;  the 
furniture  was  not  all  procured ;  one   plan  was  continually 


272  THK    GREAT    STUUGGLE. 

interfering  with  another.  Many  of  the  students,  who,  under 
her  guidance,  carried  the  institution  safely  through  that  most 
trying  season,  were  from  the  hills  westward  of  the  seminary. 
Those  beloved  names,  from  whatever  quarter  they  came, 
how  many  of  them  are  now,  as  then  and  ever  since,  work- 
ing women,  serving  their  day  and  generation,  wishing  no 
reward  but  that  best  one  of  all,  a  peaceful  conscience  and 
an  approving  God  ! 

What  her  Buckland  school  did  for  Miss  Lyon  in  the  west- 
ern, the  Ipswich  Female  Seminary  did  forjier  cause  in  the 
eastern  and  central  parts  of  Massachusetts. 

The  numbers  of  gifted  and  mature  minds  which  went 
forth  from  the  bosom  of  that  seminary,  year  by  year,  scat- 
tering blessings  in  their  track,  bore  its  influence  far  and 
wide,  and  made  the  school  known  as  a  place  of  rare  intel- 
lectual training,  but  more  especially  as  a  place  where  char- 
acter was  formed  on  practical,  common-sense  principles.  It 
sent  forth  good  scholars ;  but  its  crowning  excellence  was, 
that  it  sent  forth  good  characters. 

Many  young  ladies,  from  families  in  easy  circumstances, 
went  there  for  one,  two,  or  three  years,  as  they  could  gain 
the  consent  of  their  parents,  to  improve  and  extend  their 
education.  Their  fathers  denied  themselves  the  pleasure  of 
their  presence  and  society,  and  furnished  them  the  opportu- 
nity of  enriching  their  minds,  that  they  might  the  more 
satisfactorily  and  honorably  meet  the  duties  of  life.  The 
daughters  left  home,  perhaps,  with  no  further  view  than  to 
increase  their  own  mental  resources,  to  acquire  riches  that 
moth  cannot  corrupt,  nor  thieves  take  away,  nor  ennui  ap- 
proach, and  to  increase  their  power  to  bless  the  circles  in 
which,  as  membei's  of  families,  they  were  or  might  be  cast. 
The  training  of  minds  to  honor,  glory,  and  immortality,  the 
only  profession  open  to  woman,  was  set  before  them  till  their 
souls  glowed  with  zeal  to  enter  on  the  work.  "  Do  not  think 
of  filthy  lucre  and  immortal  minds  together,"  Miss  Lyon 


USEFULNESS   OF   IPSWICH    SCHOLARS.  273 

would  say.  "  Teach,  as  Christ  taught,  to  do  good.  Dollars 
and  cents  can  never  pay  the  faithful  minister,  nor  the  faithful 
teacher.  The  field  is  all  white,  and  whoever  has  a  willing 
heart  may  sharpen  her  sickle  and  help  gather  in  the  harvest." 
The  young  women,  touched  by  pictures  delineating  the  want 
of  cultivated  and  able  teachers,  and  by  appeals  to  their  nat- 
ural desire  to  be  doing  something  of  some  account,  and  to 
their  benevolence,  would  return  to  the  lovely  firesides  they 
had  left,  better  fitted  to  adorn  and  cheer  the  groups  around 
them.  But  some  of  them  would  ask  to  go  forth  to  educate 
others.  Fathers,  with  trembling  lips,  would  ask,  "  Why  do 
you  want  to  go  away  ?  Is  not  your  father's  house  a  pleas- 
ant home  to  you  ?  Is  there  any  thing  you  want  that  you 
do  not  have  ?  Why  do  you  wish  to  leave  us  .?"  The  daugh- 
ter pleaded  that  a  younger  sister  would  be  company,  eyes 
and  feet  for  her  parents ;  that  she  could  be  spared,  and  not 
much  missed  ;  that,  in  some  other  spot,  she  might  minister  to 
the  wants  of  young  minds  ;  and  by  such  considerations  would 
win  the  father's  consent  to  her  departure.  Filial  and  affec- 
tionate though  she  were,  she  would  seek  and  find  a  circle  of 
immortal  minds  to  whom  she  could  transfer  the  impressions 
she  had  herself  received  at  Ipswich,  and  at  the  same  time 
deepen  them  on  her  own  mind. 

Miss  Lyon  considered  her  pupils  intrusted  to  her  by  God, 
on  purpose  that  she  might  excite  this  very  spirit  in  them.  The 
love  of  employment,  of  bringing  something  to  pass,  as  nat- 
ural to  young  women  as  to  young  men,  she  would  awake 
and  draw  forth  in  behalf  of  the  poor,  the  benighted,  and  the 
ignorant.  "  Do  not  say  you  would  like  to  take  a  few  music 
scholars,"  she  would  say,  "  or  to  assist  in  an  academy  ;  but 
remember  Christ  was  the  Friend  of  sinners.  Labor  for  the 
degraded.  Take  hold  where  no  one  else  will."  She  used 
to  tell  her  scholars  at  South  Hadley,  that  she  hardly  consid- 
ered a  lady  educated  until  she  had  some  experience  in  teach- 
ing children.     She  once  said  to  an   assistant,  who  had  only 


274  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

taught  in  schools  of  young  ladies,  that  "  it  was  a  defect  in 
her  education  as  a  teacher,  that  she  lacked  experience  in 
teaching  children."  "  Begin  at  the  lowest  round  of  the  lad- 
der," she  would  say  to  candidates  for  teaching,  "  and  if  you 
hear  a  voice,  saying,  '  Come  up  higher,'  then  ascend  cheer- 
fully, but  not  exultingly." 

There  was  another  large  class  in  the  school  at  Ipswich, 
the  bone  and  sinew  of  the  institution,  whose  means  were 
limited,  and  who  were  more  or  less  dependent  on  their  own 
resources.  By  various  expedients  they  had  raised  the  means 
to  defray  their  expenses.  The  money  they  brought  was 
sometimes  the  bequest  of  a  mother,  or  their  portion  of  a  de- 
ceased father's  estate,  eked  out'by  industry  and  economy  ; 
or  it  was  the  loan  of  a  brother,  an  uncle,  or  a  friend,  who 
was  willing  to  trust  the  young  woman,  and  run  the  risk  of  her 
refunding  it  by  her  subsequent  earnings.  In  some  cases,  the 
daughter  took  the  dowry  intended  for  her  at  her  marriage, 
or  anticipated  the  division  of  the  homestead,  with  the  under- 
standing that  what  she  received  was  to  be  accounted  for  in 
the  future  and  final  settlement.  Not  what  were  their  cir- 
cumstances, and  who  were  their  fathei's,  but  what  they  were 
themselves,  and  what  they  could  be  made,  were  the  ques- 
tions asked  in  reference  to  all  these  pupils,  by  the  teachers'. 
With  them,  goodness  was  the  first  thing,  industry  and  appli- 
cation the  second,  and  talent  the  third. 

Misses  Grant  and  Lyon  did  not  always  know  the  strait- 
ened circumstances  of  their  pupils.  A  few  days  since,  the 
wife  of  a  prosperous  manufacturer  spoke  of  them  with  filial 
regard.  She  said,  "  I  went  to  school  to  them  at  Derry  one 
quarter.  I  earned  the  money  with  my  needle  to  pay  my 
tuition,  and  fit  up  my  clothing.  This  man,"  pointing  to  her 
husband,  "  paid  my  board,  and  it  was  quite  a  bill  for  him  to 
pay  then.  My  mother  was  a  widow,  and  unable  to  help  me. 
I  never  missed  answering  a  question  in  any  lesson  while  I 
was  there.     It  was  there,  loo,  that,  as  I  hope,  I  met  with  that 


THE    SCHOLARS    THAT    MAKE    A    SCHOOL.  275 

great  change  in  my  affections  which  altered  my  whole 
destiny.  I  have  often  told  my  husband,  that  for  worlds  I 
would  not  have  those  few  months  blotted  out  of  my  history. 
I  could  go  but  one  term.  I  could  not,  then,  bring  myself  to 
tell  them  the  reason,  and  I  have  never  met  either  of  them 
since." 

Though  this  lady  did  not  feel  like  opening  her  heart  on 
this  subject  to  her  teachers,  many  others  felt  no  such  re- 
straint. Both  Miss  Grant  and  Miss  Lyon  have  frequently 
loaned  to  irresponsible  young  women  the  money  to  defray 
their  expenses  at  Ipswich,  and  in  almost  all  cases  payment 
has  been  honorably  and  faithfully  made.  How  few  could 
they  aid,  compared  with  the  number  who  needed  help  !  Miss 
Lyon  had  known  many,  in  the  ten  years  of  her  connection 
with  Miss  Grant,  who,  by  the  slow  gains  of  patient  industry, 
had  earned  in  a  district  school,  in  a  millinery  shop,  in  making 
dresses,  or  even  in  tending  looms  and  jennies,  the  means  to 
place  themselves  under  her  instruction.  She  had  found 
such  often  apt  to  learn,  and  capable  of  large  thoughts  and 
high  aims.  She  had  seen  how  much  they  needed  more  time 
at  school  to  make  them  useful  to  the  extent  of  their  abilities. 
When  poverty  of  means  and  wealth  of  soul  were  united,  her 
sympathy  was  strongly  moved.  To  her  was  given  wisdom 
to  devise  and  strength  to  execute  a  plan  for  meeting  the 
wants,  not  of  here  and  there  one,  but  of  a  multitude  who 
come,  who  are  coming,  and  still  will  come  to  the  seminary 
of  her  founding.  Her  acquaintance  with  such  young  women 
was  a  most  material  circumstance  in  stirring  up  her  fertile 
mind  to  the  plans  and  efforts  which  resulted  in  the  Mount 
Holyoke  Female  Seminary.  This  class  of  scholars  con- 
tributed largely  to  making  the  Ipswich  school  a  glory  to 
Massachusetts,  and  others  like  them  in  character  have  done 
a  like  service  to  Miss  Lyon's  institution.  Their  unobtru- 
sive influence  has  been  worth  uncounted  gold.  Let  that 
class   be   taken   away,  and  all   the  teachers  in   New  Eng- 


276  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

land  cannot  keep  the  school  in  its  past  and  present  po- 
sition. 

If  the  Holyoke  Seminary  were  merely  a  place  where 
intellect  was  to  be  sharpened,  and  information  gained,  we 
might  not  care  much  for  its  existence.  Whenever  it  be- 
comes merely,  or  chiefly,  the  arena  for  mere  mental  strug- 
gles ;  when  the  mind  comes  to  be  disciplined  there  at  the 
expense  of  the  heart ;  when  ambition  supplants  the  love  of 
doing  good,  and  the  moral  powers  are  thrown  into  the  back 
ground,  —  should  that  time  ever  come,  the  Mount  Holyoke 
Female  Seminary  can  be  spared  from  the  world.  We  need 
disciplined  mind,  if  we  can  have  it  on  the  side  of  Christ. 
We  want  our  susceptibilities  enlarged  and  increased,  if  it 
may  be  for  usefulness  and  happiness  here  and  in  heaven  ; 
but  we  care  not  to  render  them  the  more  acute  and  sensi- 
tive for  uselessness  and  woe  here  and  hereafter.  We  want 
our  leading  women  to  be  Christian  women,  strong  in  prin- 
ciples, efficient  in  duty,  and  then  the  more  of  solid  acquisi- 
tion and  elegant  accomplishment  the  better.  So  long  as 
that  school  shall  be  true  to  the  principles  of  her  who  was  for 
more  than  eleven  years  its  life,  so  long  will  it  bless  the 
church  and  the  world. 

Those  pupils  of  the  Ipswich  Female  Seminary  who  have 
now  been  described,  wherever  they  were,  met  the  plans  of 
Miss  Lyon  with  faith,  hope,  and  corresponding  effort.  One 
from  the  far  south,  whither  she  had  gone  to  teach,  and 
where  she  had  married,  contributed  one  hundred  of  the  first 
thousand  dollars.  As  the  standing  representatives  of  the 
institution  Miss  Lyon  declared  it  her  aim  to  stereotype, 
they  disposed  the  community  to  favor  her  projects  and 
lend  her  pecuniary  aid.  This  they  did  in  common  with 
every  woman  who  had  been  made  wiser  and  better  by  her 
connection  with  the  school  in  question. 

There  was  another  large  class,  in  the  seminary  at  Ipswich, 
who  had  been  allowed  to  have  their  own  way,  to  be  waited 


INDULGED   AND   SELF-INDULGENT    PUPILS.  277 

on  by  mothers  and  grandmothers,  till,  even  in  their  youth 
the  grasshopper  had  become  a  burden,  and  the  questions, 
"  What  shall  we  eat  ?  what  shall  we  drink  ?  and  wherewithal 
shall  we  be  clothed  ?  "  were  the  all-absorbing  topics  of  their 
daily  lives.  Some  such  were  waked  from  the  lethargy  into 
which  they  had  been  rocked,  to  see  where  they  stood,  to  lay 
hold  on  the  work  of  self-reform,  and  to  endeavor  to  I'cgain, 
as  well  as  they  could,  the  ground  they  had  lost.  Many 
such  are  now  adorning  the  spheres  in  which  they  move  far 
better  than  they  would  have  done,  had  they  never  breathed 
the  genial  influences  which  surrounded  them,  while  they 
were  at  Derry  or  at  Ipswich.  Yet  habits  are  often  stronger 
than  principles,  and  some,  who  saw  the  right  and  adopted  it 
in  theory,  whose  sentiments  were  all  in  favor  of  self-denial 
and  efficient  labor,  have  unconsciously  lost  ground,  and  feel 
condemned  when  they  lay  their  past  purposes  and  their 
actual  and  present  lives  side  by  side.  The  love  of  dress  and 
show,  which  they  once  fancied  slain,  has  shown  its  head  too 
often  since.  They  have  catered  to  appetite,  and  given  them- 
selves up  to  pleasures  that  perish  in  the  using,  till  one  who 
hears  their  conversation  from  day  to  day  is  tempted  to  ask 
how  they  can  expect  to  be  happy  in  a  kingdom  which  con- 
sists not  in  meats  and  drinks,  and  where  they  neither  marry 
nor  are  given  in  marriage.  Little  by  little,  under  one  pre- 
text or  another,  they  have  given  up  the  self-denials  which, 
in  the  zeal  of  youth,  were  resolutely  undertaken.  Though 
they  are  less  vain,  frivolous,  and  sensual  than  they  would 
have  been  without  their  early  impulses,  resolves,  attempts, 
and  conquests,  they  are  still  far  from  where  they  hoped,  fif- 
teen or  twenty  years  ago,  to  find  themselves  at  this  stage  of 
life.  They  cannot  spend  their  lives  in  embroidering  fire- 
screens and  slippers,  making  bedquilts  out  of  a  thousand 
pieces,  ruffling  and  trimming  their  children's  dresses,  without 
feeling  a  little  uneasy,  and  recollecting  that  the  work  in 
hand  is  not  the  chief  end  for  which  life  was  given  to  a 
24 


278  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

thinking  woman.  One  of  this  class  may  sometimes  be  found 
floating  along  with  the  gay  and  butterfly  multitude,  apparent- 
ly unconscious  that  she  has  not  a  whole  eternity  before  her 
for  decking  and  feeding  her  frail  and  failing  tabernacle,  dis- 
coursing of  nothing  beyond  the  changing  fashions  and  the 
passing  events  of  the  day.  Yet  now  and  then,  all  unwel- 
come, must  come  a  reminiscence,  even  to  such,  of  school 
days,  as  if  but  yesterday,  and  plant  a  thorn  in  her  bed  of 
flowers.  None  of  them  can  entirely  forget  the  patterns 
shown  them  in  those  favored  hours,  nor  the  lofty  views  they 
once  entertained.  An  inward  dissatisfaction  mars  half  their 
apparent  pleasures. 

There  are  many  to  whom  that  school  was  the  school  of 
Christ,  who  intelligently  gave  themselves  away  to  do  his 
will,  and  have  never  looked  back  ;  who,  with  energy  and 
grace  equal  to  the  conflict,  have  gone  on  conquering  and  to 
conquer,  and  have  fewer  struggles  now  than  formerly,  be- 
cause they  are  approaching  the  heavenly  rest.  They  are 
overcoming  ;  the  white  stone,  destined  for  those  who  run 
well  to  the  end,  begins  to  be  in  sight.  Unfailing  virtue,  a 
perfect  love  to  God,  that  cannot  be  drawn  aside,  is  in 
full  view  as  their  prize  and  reward.  Some  have  already 
reached  the  goal  and  received  their  crowns.  T  see  a  shining 
band  around  their  dear  departed  earthly  leader  on  yonder 
heavenly  plains.  They  are  a  group  of  her  own  disciples, 
whom  she  led  in  the  way  to  heaven.  They  met  her  freed 
spirit  at  the  pearly  gate.  They  hail  her  welcome  to  their 
celestial  home.  They  lead  her  to  the  great  white  throne, 
and  stand  around  her  with  affectionate  gaze,  as  she  mutely 
wonders  at  Him  who  sits  thereon.  Anon,  I  see  her  raise 
her  hands,  and  hear  her  exclaim,  in  the  pleasant  voice  of 
olden  days,  "  O !  O !  such  glory  !  This  is  indeed  more 
than  I  ever  conceived  !  "  and  in  fuller,  richer  strains  than 
any  of  the  group,  cry,  "  Glory  to  Him  that  sitteth  on  the 
throne,  and  to  the  Lamb  forever  and  forevermore  ! " 


STEONQ    POINTS    OF    MISS    LYON's    CHARACTER.  279 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  means,  it  seems  to  have 
been  a  part  of  God's  plan  that  Miss  Lyon  should  remain  un- 
married, on  purpose  that  she  might  give  herself  wholly  to 
her  vv^ork.  She  looked  well,  often  very  well,  always  bright 
and  intellectual,  and  often  conversed  handsomely.  There 
was  a  freshness  and  an  originality  in  her  thoughts,  sure  to 
interest  persons  of  sense.  That  dependence,  so  aptly  likened 
to  the  clinging  ivy,  was  perhaps  incompatible  with  her  force 
of  character  and  physical  strength.  It  was  not  often  that 
a  hiding  of  her  power  beneath  a  soft  and  subdued  woman- 
liness made  her  so  much  the  more  engaging.  She  was  care- 
ful to  rise  up  before  the  hoary  head,  and  honor  the  face  of 
the  old  man,  to  pay  to  every  one  the  respect  due  his  age, 
character,  or  station.  At  the  same  time,  she  made  the  im- 
pression on  every  one  with  whom  she  had  any  thing  to  do, 
from  the  common  day  laborer  to  the  president  of  a  college, 
that  if  she  had  set  hersejf  to  do  any  thing,  it  w^as  of  no  use 
to  oppose  her.  It  is  not  strange  that,  with  this  wonderful 
energy,  the  graces  peculiarly  feminine  were  with  her  the 
result  of  careful  recollection.  Though  many  a  gentleman 
would  go  to  such  a  woman  for  counsel  or  aid,  would  confide 
in  her  judgment,  or  forward  her  plans,  it  is  no  reflection 
upon  her  to  remark  that  few  comparatively  would  be  drawn 
within  love's  silken  meshes. 

On  the  other  hand.  Miss  Lyon  was  not  so  ignorant  of  her- 
self as  not  to  know  her  own  comparative  superiority.  This 
idea  occupied  no  more  room  in  her  capacious  mind,  engrossed 
no  more  of  her  attention,  than  the  other  just  alluded  to,  that 
she  had  no  great  power  of  fascination.  Both  ideas  were 
equally  familiar  to  her,  and  while  the  one  gave  her  no  par- 
ticular pain,  the  other  gave  her  no  peculiar  pleasure.  But 
she  would  never  have  sold  herself  for  nought.  She  could 
not  have  looked  confidingly  up  to  an  ordinary  man,  and  she 
had  too  true  a  sense  of  propriety  to  look  condescendingly 
down  upon  a  husband.     In  her  early  youth,  before  she  went 


280  THE    GREAT    STRUGGLE. 

to  Byfield,  it  was  only  now  and  then  that  a  mind  to  match 
her  own  crossed  her  path ;  but  after  that  period,  she  cer- 
tainly met  with  many  sensible  and  educated  men.  When 
she  made  up  her  mind  not  to  be  married,  she  was  more  than 
thirty  years  old.  She  made  it  up  deliberately,  in  view  of 
her  comparative  usefulness  in  wedded  life  and  in  teaching. 
The  occasion  of  her  decision  was  a  tempting  offer  of  matri- 
mony, which  she  thought  held  out  as  good  a  prospect  of  a 
life  of  love  and  happiness  as  any  she  could  expect.  When 
she  had  once  fully  decided  on  giving  her  undivided  labors  to 
the  advancement  of  female  education,  it  was  fixed  beyond 
reconsideration.  The  answer  to  any  letter  of  a  particular 
character  thereafter  was  quickly  despatched.  If  the  bishop 
of  all  the  churches  had  thrown  an  apple  of  gold  in  her  path, 
she  would  not  have  stopped  in  her  race  to  pick  it  up.  But 
between  the  day  in  which  she  sold  the  et  ceteras  towards  begin- 
ning housekeeping  which  she  had  collected,  like  her  sisters 
before  her,  and  the  day  in  which  she  made  up  her  mind  to 
give  herself  wholly  to  the  work  of  female  education,  there  was 
time  enough  for*  her  to  have  been  sought  and  won  by  any 
person  who  could  have  commanded  her  respect  and  love.  A 
warm  heart  beat  in  that  broad  chest,  which,  once  appropri- 
ated, she  would  never  have  wished  to  recall.  She  was  with- 
out ambition  to  be  known ;  and,  settled  for  life,  she  would  have 
moved  along  in  an  even,  lovely  course,  like  her  noble  mother 
before  her.  Her  life  might  have  been  many  years  longer 
here  below,  but  the  Holyoke  Seminary  would  be  among  the 
things  yet  to  come.  Whatever  were  the  means  or  the  occa- 
sion, we  cannot  but  see  a  providence  in  the  fact  that  she  did 
not  become  encumbered  with  domestic  cares,  but  remained 
heart-whole  for  the  work  of  her  life. 

Miss  Lyon  was  a  living  witness  to  the  great  truth  she  often 
uttered  in  the  ears  of  her  pupils,  that  "  mind,  wherever  it  is 
found,  will  secure  respect."  She  won  the  esteem,  respect, 
and  love  of  the  high  and  the  low,  the  rich  and  the  poor. 


FEELINGS   AND    VIEWS    ON    VARIOUS    TOPICS  281 

She  never  felt  any  pride  on  account  of  her  elevation ;  she 
never  lost  her  sympathy  with  persons  in  humble  life.  Her 
sympathy  with  the  middle  ranks  of  society  was  the  main- 
spring of  her  last  great  efforts.  She  desired,  as  has  been 
seen,  to  see  females  of  limited  means  furnished  with  facili- 
ties for  mental  and  moral  improvement.  She  sought  to 
build  up  a  school  where  the  pupils  should  be  of  sufficient 
maturity  to  take  in  great  and  ennobling  views  of  God  and 
human  life,  but  not  so  old  that  she  might  not  hope  to  see 
them  impelled  by  new  and  higher  motives,  take  new  aims, 
and  set  their  faces  resolutely  towards  the  true  and  the  good. 
The  leading  characters  in  all  our  religious  and  benevolent 
enterprises,  the  controlling  minds  which  preside  in  all  the 
distinguished  posts  of  usefulness,  are,  she  was  accustomed  to 
say,  neither  from  the  wealthy  classes  nor  from  the  wretchedly 
poor,  but  from  the  substantial  yeomanry  of  the  land.  "  In- 
fluence exerted  on  that  class,"  said  she,  "  tells  every  where. 
Educate  the  women,  and  the  men  will  be  educated.  New 
England  influence  is  vastly  greater  than  its  comparative  size 
and  population  would  indicate.  It  is  the  cradle  of  thought. 
New  England  mind  carries  the  day  every  where,  and  the 
great  business  is  to  get  the  New  England  conscience  en- 
lightened and  accurate."  She  would  not  meddle  with  poli- 
tics. But  she  said,  "  Let  the  ladies  all  understand  the  great 
doctrine  of  seeking  the  greatest  good,  of  loving  their  neigh- 
bor as  themselves,  let  them  indoctrinate  the  children,  their 
sons,  in  this  fundamental  truth,  and  we  shall  have  wise 
legislators." 

She  used  to  say  that  it  takes  as  much  mind  and  character 
to  descend  as  to  rise  with  dignity.  The  weak,  uneducated 
woman,  who  happens,  as  the  wheel  of  fortune  turns  round, 
to  be  on  the  upper  side,  is  so  elated  as  to  be  spoiled,  and  the 
same  character,  when  the  wheel  descends,  is  unreasonably 
depressed  ;  while  the  woman  of  mind,  of  fixed  principles, 
of  good  education,  appears  the  same  under  all  reverses  ; 
24* 


282  THE    GREAT    STRTTGGLE. 

never  foolishly  elated,  nor  miserably  depressed.  One  great 
reason  why  she  would  have  the  ladies  of  our  republican 
country  educated  was,  that  they  might  have  ballast  amidst  the 
fluctuations  of  life.  She  said  all  this  as  if  she  herself  stood 
apart,  a  spectator  of  society  ;  and  such,  to  some  extent,  she 
was.  She  never  sought  the  patronage,  society,  favor,  or 
notice  of  the  gentry.  "  We  are  on  the  top  wave  of  popalar- 
itj'-,  just  now,"  she  would  sometimes  say  of  her  school,  just 
as  she  would  say,  "  They  live  in  a  great  house,  and  have 
plenty  of  money,  but  they  are  little  bits  of  folks.  You  un- 
derstand what  I  mean  ;  they  think  they  must  have  their  say 
in  every  thing."  Such  people's  neglect  could  not  hurt  her. 
The  lich  were  to  her  no  more  than  the  poor,  save  as  she 
could  unclasp  their  purses  and  obtain  their  money  for  benev- 
olent ends.  She  extracted  money  from  the  rich,  and  influ- 
ence from  the  clergy.  She  never  sought  patronage,  but 
laughed  at  the  word,  and  said  it  was  the  teacher  who  did  the 
pupils  and  their  parents  a  favor,  and  not  they  the  teacher. 
Intelligence,  capacity,  and  goodness  were  the  articles  she 
put  in  her  inventory  of  valuables.  The  parade  of  wealth, 
the  glitter  of  pageantry,  could  create  no  illusion  for  her  eyes. 
They  were  to  her  but  the  rattles  and  the  trinkets  of  baby- 
hood. She  looked  at  the  things  which  were  enduring.  The 
boast  of  family  was  but  a  waste  of  breath  in  her  ears.  She 
knew  no  satisfaction  in  ancestry  beyond  the  remembrance 
of  their  piety.  Her  own  ancestors,  as  far  as  she  could  trace 
them,  had,  she  said,  been  pious,  and  she  used  to  say  that  she 
thought  they  might  have  been  so  back  to  the  time  of  Christ. 
She  made  no  war  on  the  factitious  distinctions  of  society. 
A  school  and  a  church,  she  said,  knew  no  such  distinctions. 
Women,  it  is  often  said,  rise  with  more  difficulty  than  men. 
She  never  felt  any  such  difficulty.  She  never  sought  to  rise, 
but  only  sought  to  do  good.  She  had  no  jealousy  of  her  sex. 
She  valued  herself  at  her  true  worth,  and  took  it  for  granted 
that  every  body  else  did.    Her  life  was  a  beautiful  illustration 


INDIFFERENCE   TO   LITTLE   THINGS.  283 

of  the  great  truth  that  persons  rise  to  eminence  not  by  seek- 
ing distinction,  but  by  seeking  a  worthy  end. 

Another  item  in  Miss  Lyon's  adaptedness  to  her  work  was 
her  constitutional  indifference  to  such  things,  in  her  personal 
appearance,  as  dress,  and  what,  in  common  parlance,  is 
called  gentility.  She  was  not  schooled  to  observe  "  nice 
customs."  Her  mother  took  all  pains,  by  example  and  pre- 
cept, to  give  her  that  adorning  which  is  incorruptible,  and 
which  is  of  great  price  in  the  sight  of  God  ;  which  money 
cannot  buy,  nor  artificial  rules  confer ;  and  she  succeeded. 
Her  beloved  daughter  wore  ever,  where  all  who  approached 
her  could  see  it,  the  ornament  of  a  guileless,  pure,  humble, 
enlightened,  and  intensely  benevolent  spirit.  The  mother 
taught  her  to  be  honest,  to  be  kind,  to  shun  every  thing 
mean  and  wicked  ;  but  she  did  not  take  so  much  pains  to 
drill  her  in  the  most  approved  mode  of  standing,  sitting,  walk- 
ing, eating,  and  dressing.  These  she  left  to  Nature,  who 
does  not  always  teach  according  to  conventional  rules  and 
forms.  Her  friends  can  afford  to  admit  that  she  did  not  ex- 
cel in  the  graces  of  the  drawing-room.  In  her  early  and 
susceptible  years,  her  attention  was  not  turned  to  her  appear- 
ance. The  getting  a  thing  done  so  engrossed  her  thoughts, 
that  none  were  left  for  the  manner  in  which  it  should  be 
done.  Perhaps  no  training  could  have  educated  her  to  live 
to  be  dressed  and  fed.  Clothing  and  food  were  means,  not 
ends,  in  her  nomenclature,  and  it  does  not  seem  as  though 
all  the  powers  and  principalities  beneath  the  skies  could  have 
wrought  her  into  a  worshipper  of  the  toilet.  She  was  born 
to  a  different  destiny.  There  seemed  wanting,  what  teachers 
cannot  give,  a  natural  bias  to  that  branch  of  study.  Dress 
could  not  get  between  her  and  the  sun.  She  did  not  feel 
above  attending  to  it  On  the  contrary,  she  considered  it  a 
duty  to  dress  conformably  to  her  station.  She  had  not  so 
much  instinctive  perception  of  what  is  tasteful  in  outward 
adorning  as  many  ladies  possess  and  exercise.     If  she  was 


284  THE  PREAT    STRUGGLE. 

sometimes  seen  in  the  drawing-room  when  every  hair  did 
not  know  its  place,  and  some  article  of  her  apparel  would 
not  bear  the  closest  scrutiny,  she  was  never  guilty  of  that 
far  greater  offence  against  a  classical  taste,  of  being  over- 
dressed. She  had  a  correct  theory.  With  Hannah  More, 
she  held  that  the  perfection  of  the  art  is  so  to  dress  that 
no  one  will  recollect,  two  minutes  afterwards,  any  thing 
that  you  had  on.  She  sought  simplicity,  neatness,  corre- 
spondence. She  often  told  her  scholars  that  dress  should 
answer  to  the  age,  employment,  health,  and  position  of 
the  wearer,  and  to  *he  season,  the  weather,  and  the  occa- 
sion. It  cannot  be  denied  but  that  she  sometimes  fell  short 
of  her  theory.  Nature  would  get  the  better  of  rules.  She 
had  to  study  a  question  in  dress  as  closely  as  most  ladies 
would  one  in  political  economy,  which  she,  in  her  turn,  would 
grasp  almost  intuitively ;  and  if  she  sometimes  made  mis- 
takes in  her  lessons,  it  was  no  more  than  they  do  in  theirs. 
It  was  the  greatest  drudgery  of  her  life  to  attend  to  it.  It 
was  that  which  gave  her  most  frequent  occasion  to  exercise 
self-denial,  and  to  improve  in  the  grace  of  patience.  Perhaps 
she  needed  a  mistress  of  the  robes  as  much  as  Victoria,  be- 
cause weightier  affairs  pressed  such  things  out  of  her  notice. 
No  gift  from  a  friend  or  pupil  was  more  acceptable  to  her 
than  a  pretty  cap  or  collar.  In  any  thing  pertaining  to 
school,  she  seldom  asked  counsel  till  she  had  made  up  her 
own  mind,  and  then  what  she  wanted  was  approbation ;  but 
in  matters  of  the  toilet  she  was  grateful  for  advice.  When 
she  stood  before  the  glass,  her  thoughts  were  at  the  world's 
end,  or  above  it.  Her  room-mate  in  1834  says  she  well 
remembers  her  standing  before  the  mirror  in  their  room, 
adjusting  her  bonnet  strings,  and  saying  at  the  same  time,  in 
an  impressive  manner,  "  Well,  I  may  fail  of  heaven,  but  I 
shall  be  very  much  disappointed  if  I  do : "  and  then  slowly 
and  emphatically  repeating,  "  very  much  disappointed." 
We  have  as  little  reason  to  complain  of  inattention  in  our 


ECONOMY  OF  POWEH  AND  TIME.  285 

dull  scholars,  as  the  dress-makers  sometimes  had  who 
worked  for  her,  "  You  must  find  mind  as  well  as  fingers," 
she  would  say  ;  "  I  expect  you  to  do  the  contriving  as  well 
as  bring  the  patterns." 

It  is  matter  of  gratitude  that  the  shade  of  a  color,  the 
form  of  a  hat,  the  texture  of  a  shawl,  the  fit  of  a  glove,  or 
the  adjustment  of  a  lock  of  hair,  did  not  assume  an  aspect 
of  such  supreme  importance  in  her  eyes,  as  they  seem  to  do 
in  those  of  many  a  Christian  lady.  Else  how  could  she 
have  found  time  and  mind  for  the  magnificent  structures  she 
has  bequeathed  to  her  sex  and  her  country  ?  When  I  think 
of  her  early  indifference  to  this  subject,  her  deep-seated 
aversion  to  wasting  one  minute  on  gratifications  that  perish 
in  the  using ;  of  her  great  soul,  seemingly  unconscious  of  a 
body,  save  as  it  was  crowded  for  want  of  room  ;  of  the  mul- 
tiplicity of  her  cares,  the  magnitude  of  her  conceptions,  the 
work  she  brought  to  pass,  and  all  the  good  in  which  she  had 
a  hand,  —  I  wonder,  not  that,  now  and  then,  her  outward  robes 
fell  short  of  conventional  elegance,  but  that  she  did,  so  much 
of  the  time,  reach  her  own  true  ideal.  Had  she  been  fas- 
tidiously nice  in  matters  of  dress  and  etiquette,  had  she 
stopped  to  measure  eveiy  step,  and  to  estimate  the  force  of 
voice  she  should  give  to  every  word,  and  to  consider  what 
people  might  think  or  say  about  the  particular  way  in  which 
she  moved  her  feet  or  her  arms,  she  could  never  have  borne 
the  heat  and  burden  of  the  day  through  those  memorable 
years  from  September  6,  1834,  to  November  8,  1837. 
Blessed  saint !  that  body,  so  long  thy  patient  care,  wrapped 
in  its  snowy  shroud,  lies  peacefully  in  its  quiet  resting-place. 
The  shining  vestments  which  thy  free  spirit  wears  infinitely 
more  than  meet  thine  own  ideal,  and  they  shall  never  be 
soiled,  never  wear  out,  nor  ever  tire  on  the  vision  of  thy 
sister  spirits. 


PART     III. 

THE    VICTORY    GAINED    AND     SECURED. 


SECTION    I. 

The  first  Year  of  the  new  Seminary. 

We  have  now  followed  Miss  Lyon  through  the  first  forty 
years  of  her  life,  during  the  first  twenty-four  of  which,  at  home, 
or  near  home,  she  was  the  diligent  scholar  and  the  obedient 
daughter ;  tryiiag  her  hand,  also,  sometimes  as  teacher. 
Next  we  have  seen  her  abroad  most  of  the  time  as  a  teacher 
for  thirteen  years.  Afterwards,  we  have  watched  her  with 
deep  interest,  as  she  went  through  the  arduous  struggle 
of  founding  the  Mount  Holyoke  Female  Seminary.  In  the 
autumn  of  1837,  its  walls  had  been  erected,  and  its  rooms 
were  ready  to  receive  eighty  pupils.  The  means  were  now 
in  her  hands  of  making  the  grand  experiment  towards  which 
she  had  so  long  looked  forward  with  intense  interest. 
Though  she  had  gone  forth  alone,  with  a  simple  sling  and 
stone,  to  meet  not  one,  but  many  giants,  their  headless 
trunks  all  now  lay  at  her  feet ;  and  well  might  she  have 
raised  the  shout  of  victory.  But,  though  thankful  to  God 
that  he  had  at  last  given  her  a  place  where  she  could  firmly 
plant  her  feet,  little  thought  she  of  exultation  while  so  much 
remained  to  be  done,  while  the  great  experiment  remained 
untried,  and  especially  while  so  many  of  the  most  judicious 
and  benevolent  Christians  had  little  or  no  confidence  in  its 


THE    NEW   EDIFICE.  287 

success.  Such  was  the  fact,  and  she  knew  it.  The  evidence 
had  met  her  so  often  in  her  efforts  to  obtain  influence  and  sub- 
scriptions, that  it  would  have  paralyzed  the  exertions  of  one 
whose  faith  had  not  been  almost  equal  to  vision.  But  now 
the  matter  was  to  be  put  to  the  trial,  to  decide  who  was 
right.  And  she  took  hold  of  the  work  with  all  her  powers 
of  body  and  mind. 

Although  our  readers  have  probably  a  tolerably  good  idea 
of  the  plan  of  the  new  seminary,  from  the  descriptions 
already  given  of  the  schools  at  Buckland,  Derry,  and  Ips- 
wich, as  well  as  from  several  circulars,  yet  it  is  desirable 
to  give  a  brief  account  of  the  character  and  condition  of 
the  whole  enterprise  when  the  school  was  first  opened, 
in  the  autumn  of  1837. 

The  Buildings. 

The  annexed  drawing  gives  a  clear  idea  of  the  edifice,  as 
seen  from  the  south-west.  Mount  Holyoke  being  seen  at  a 
distance  on  the  left.  The  main  building  is  ninety-four  feet 
by  fifty,  five  stories  high,  though  the  lower  one  is  partially 
below  the  ground  in  front,  but  not  in  the  rear,  as  the  sur- 
face here  slopes  easterly.  The  basement  story  is  devoted  to 
a  large  domestic  hall  and  a  large  dining  hall,  with  six  smaller 
rooms.  The  second  story  has  a  large  hall  for  school  exer- 
cises, forty-eight  by  sixty  feet,  a  library  and  reading-room,  a 
natural  history  cabinet,  three  parlors,  and  several  private 
rooms.  The  third  story  has  a  chemical  laboratory,  a  philo- 
sophical cabinet,  two  recitation  and  lecture-rooms,  and  sev- 
eral private  rooms  for  pupils  or  teachers.  The  two  upper 
stories  are  exclusively  devoted  to  private  rooms,  sixty-two  in 
number.  All  the  private  rooms  for  teachers  and  pupils 
amount  to  eighty-five. 

This  main  building  will  accommodate  one  hundred  and 
seventy  pupils  well.  Subsequently,  a  wing  has  been  extended 
back,  containing  twenty-five  additional  rooms  for  teachers  and 


288  THE    VICTORY   GAINED   A^D    SECURED. 

pupils ;  SO  that  two  hundred  and  twenty  young  ladies  can 
now  be  accommodated  in  the  private  rooms  in  the  whole 
building.  It  was  Miss  Lyon's  intention  to  erect  a  correspond- 
ing wing  at  the  north  end  of  the  main  building,  where  now 
only  some  outhouses  stand.  But  the  trustees  have  not  yet 
carried  this  design  into  execution,  as  they  intend  to  do  ere 
long.  In  the  rear  of  the  main  building  is  a  large  court,  sur- 
rounded by  buildings,  and  devoted  to  the  purposes  of  the 
laundry. 

To  the  east  of  the  buildings  the  ground  slopes  towards  a 
stream  of  considerable  size,  which  forms  the  boundary  of 
the  promenades  in  that  direction,  and  which  the  trustees  in- 
tend shall  be  used  for  the  purposes  of  bathing,  when  suitable 
buildings  are  erected  on  its  margin.  The  grounds  are  capa- 
ble of  forming  agreeable  and  beautiful  walks,  which,  when 
laid  out  tastefully,  and  well  shaded,  will  undoubtedly  be  more 
attractive  than  the  streets,  now  so  much  used  for  exercise. 

The  upper  stories  of  the  seminary  command  extensive 
and  delightful  views  of  Holyoke  and  Tom,  with  the  inter- 
vening valleys  and  gorges.  But  as  the  ground  opposite  the 
buildings  is  higher  than  their  base,  the  lower  stories  do  not 
present  views  so  attractive.  This  was  the  grand  reason  why 
some  of  the  locating  committee  felt  dissatisfied  with  the 
present  site.  But  it  is  useless  now  to  agitate  that  question. 
We  can  only  say  that  there  is  much  about  the  site  that  is 
beautiful,  although  in  a  town  so  rich  in  fine  prospects,  loca- 
tions might  have  been  found  more  commanding  and  delight- 
ful. With  a  few  hundred  dollars  expended  upon  the 
grounds,  they  might  be  made  exceedingly  pleasant.  But 
hitherto  the  more  important  wants  of  the  institution  have 
prevented  the  trustees  from  devoting  much  money  to  objects 
of  taste.  And  yet  they  are  aware  that  such  objects  have  an 
important  bearing  upon  the  intellectual  and  moral  training 
of  young  ladies.  Of  this  Miss  Lyon  was  fully  conscious,  as 
the  style  in  which  the  seminary  is  built  evinces ;  for  though 


-   THE  DOMESTIC  ARRANGEMENTS.  289 

the  outlines  and  finishing  are  plain,  they  are  in  accordance 
with  good  taste. 

The  buildings  were  all  planned  by  Miss  Lyon,  not  indeed 
without  consultation  with  others.  This  was  a  great  labor, 
and  severely  taxed  her  powers.  Yet  so  well  was  it  done 
that  but  few  subsequent  changes  have  been  found  desirable. 

The  domestic  Arrangements. 

These  were  peculiar  to  this  seminary  in  two  respects. 
First,  all  the  pupils  were  i>.q:''red  to  room  and  board  within 
its  walls.  The  nearest  inhabitant  oT  C^uth  Hadley  cannot 
send  a  daughter  thither  who  does  not  conform  to  these  rules  ; 
and  without  doubt  they  are  important  to  the  complete  suc- 
cess of  the  institution. 

The  second  peculiarity  consisted  in  the  domestic  work 
being  all  performed  by  the  members  of  the  school,  so  that 
no  hired  female  help  is  admitted.  This  feature  of  the  plan 
was  entirely  original  with  Miss  Lyon  ;  and  it  was  the  one 
that  was  most  objected  against  by  her  judicious  friends, 
many  of  whom  were  so  fearful  of  it  that  they  dared  not 
recommend  her  plans  while  this  scheme  formed  a  part 
of  them.  On  the  other  hand,  it  was  this  feature  that  gave 
the  plan  most  interest  with  a  large  and  highly  respectable" 
class  of  the  community,  who  are  very  anxious  to  have  their 
children  taught  how  to  perform  the  ordinary  processes  of 
housewifery.  So  that,  in  fact,  while  this  part  of  the  plan 
p'ienated  many  judicious  friends,  it  conciliated  a  still  larger 
number,  and  was,  no  doubt,  the  most  important  means  em- 
ployed in  obtaining  i"i.rds.  But  we  shall  shortly  let  Miss 
Lyon  give  her  own  views  on  this  point. 

The  Course  of  Study  and  the  Instructors. 

This  course  has  always  embraced  three  years,  and  three 
classes  —  the  junror,  the  middle,  and  the  senioi".     The  requi- 
sites for  admission  and  the  studies  of- the  whole  course,  as 
25 


290  THE    VICTORY    GAINED    AND    SECURED. 

they  were  at  first  arranged,  are  given  below,  as  they  were 
stated  in  the  second  annual  catalogue.  When  the  first  was 
published,  the  course  was  not  fully  arranged. 

Terms  of  Admission. 

The  studies  requisite  for  admission  are  an  acquaintance  ■with  the 
general  principles  of  English  grammar,  a  good  knowledge  of  mod- 
ern geography,  Goodrich's  History  of  the  United  States,  ''VdLcs  on 
the  Mind,  Colbui-n's  First  Lessons,  and  the  whole  of  Adams's  New 
Aritlimetic. 

None  are  received  under  six*-:;-a  years  of  age.  Except  in  extraor- 
dinary cases,  no  candlaate  will  be  accepted  expecting  to  enter  after 
the  year  commences,  or  to  leave  till  its  close. 

Studies  of  the  Junior  Class. 

Ancient  geography ;  ancient  and  modem  history ;  text  books : 
Worcester's  Elements,  Goldsmith's  Greece,  Rome,  and  England,  and 
Grimshaw's  France ;  Day's  Algebra  begun ;  SuUivan's  Political 
Class  Book ;  Lee's  Physiology ;  Outline  of  Botany ;  Outline  of  Nat- 
ural  Philosophy ;  Smellie's  Philosophy  of  Natural  History ;  EngUsh 
Grammar  —  Murray's  Grammar  and  Exercises,  Pope's  Essay  on 
Man. 

Studies  of  the  Middle  Class, 

Day's  Algebra  finished ;  Playfair's  Euclid  begun ;  Abercrombie 
'  on  the  Intellectual  Powers  ;  Marsh's  Ecclesiastical  History  ;  Beck's 
Botany  begun  ;  Beck's  Chemistry  ;  Wilkins's  Astronomy ;  New- 
man's Rhetoric  ;  Geology ;  Alexander's  Evidences  of  Christianity ; 
English  Grammar  continued  —  Young's  Night  ThoughA(i^ 

Studies  of  the  Senior  Class. 

Playfair's  Euclid  finished  ;  Olmsted's Natu^"!  philosophy ;  Beck's 
Botany  continued;  Paley's  Natural  i  neology ;  Whately's  Logic; 
Whately's  Rhetoric ;  InteZiectual  Philosophy ;  Wayland's  Moral 
Philosophy ;  Wayland's  Political  Economy ;  Butler's  Analogy ; 
Milton's  Paradise  Lost. 

Particular  attention  is  given  to  composition,  reading,  and  calis- 
thenics through  the  whole  course.  The  Bible  lesson  is  recited  on 
the  Sabbath  and  reviewed  during  the  week.     Regular  instruction  is 


STUDIES    IN    THE    SEMINARY.  291 

given  in  vocal  music,  and  in  linear  and  perspective  draAving.  Those 
who  have  attended  to  instrumental  music  can  have  the  use  of  a 
piano  a  few  hours  in  a.  week. 

Subsequently,  some  changes  were  made  in  the  studies,  as 
the  following  list  of  them,  from  the  twelfth  annual  cata- 
logue, will  show  :  — 

Studies  of  the  Junior  Class. 

Review  of  English  Grammar;  Latin,  (Cornelius  Nepos;)  History, 
(Worcester's  Elements,  Goldsmith's  Greece,  Rome,  and  England, 
and  Grimshaw's  France ;)  Day's  Algebra ;  Playfair's  Euclid  and 
Wood's  Botany  commenced;  also  Smellie's  Philosophy  of  Natural 
History  and  Marsh's  Ecclesiastical  History. 

Studies  of  the  Middle  Class. 

Latin ;  Cutter's  Physiology ;  Silliman's  Chemistry ;  Olmsted's 
Natural  Philosophy;  Olmsted's  Astronomy  ;•  Wood's  Botany  con- 
tiyued  ;  Newman's  Rhetoric  ;  also  Alexander's  Evidences  of  Chris- 
tianity. 

Studies  of  the  Senior  Class. 

Playfair's  Euclid  finished ;  Wood's  Botany  continued  ;  Hitch- 
cock's Geology ;  Paley's  Natural  Theology ;  Upham's  Mental  Philos- 
ophy, in  two  volumes ;  Whately's  Logic ;  Wayland's  Moral  Philoso- 
phy; Butler's  Analogy,  and  MUton's  Paradise  Lost. 

All  the  members  of  the  school  attend  regularly  to  composition, 
reading,  and  calisthenics.  Instruction  is  given  in  vocal  music,  in 
linear  and  perspective  drawing,  and  in  French.  Those  who  have 
attended  to  mstrumental  music  can  have  the  use  of  a  piano  a  few 
hours  in  each  week. 

None  of  the  studies  in  these  lists  were  put  down  for  pop- 
ular effect,  but  the  pupil  might  be  sure  that  they  must  all  be 
thoroughly  studied.  It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  the 
course  was  of  an  elevated  character  in  all  the  substantial 
branches  of  study  important  to  females. 

The  teachers  with  whom  the  school  opened  were  as 
follows:  Miss  Maiy  Lyon,  Principal;  Miss  P^unice  Caldwell, 


292  THE    VICTORY    GAIN'ED    AND    SKCURED. 

Associate  Principal ;  Miss  Mary  W.  Smith,  Miss  Amanda 
A.  Hodgman,  Teachers;  Miss  Abigail  Moore,  Miss  Persis  C. 
Woods,  Miss  Susan  Reed,  Assistant  Pupils. 

Miss  Caldwell  was  Miss  Lyon's  pupil  at  Ipswich,  and  also 
a  teacher  there  ;  and  knowing  her  superior  skill.  Miss  Lyon 
was  anxious  to  secure  her  services  for  the  opening  of  the 
new  school.  She  was,  moreover.  Miss  Lyon's  confidential 
friend,  the  third  one  upon  whom  she  lavished  the  affections 
of  a  generous  and  devoted  heart.  Miss  Caldwell,  (now  Mrs. 
Cowles,)  in  Part  II.  of  this  memoir,  has  spoken  of  the 
first  two,  viz.,  Amanda  White  and  Z.  P.  Grant ;  but  delicacy 
forbade  her  to  name  the  third.  Yet  the  fact  should  not  be 
omitted,  since  it  will  show  the  reader  how  intimately  ac- 
quainted Mrs.  Cowles  must  have  been  with  Miss  Lyon's 
character.  The  fourth  special  friend  was  Miss  M.  C. 
Whitman. 

It  will  show  how  well  known  and  esteemed  were  thes§ 
associate  principals,  and  also  what  a  preparation  there  was 
in  the  public  mind  for  such  a  school,  to  state  that  the  very 
first  year  of  its  existence  it  contained  one  hundred  and  six- 
teen pupils.  How  so  many  were  stowed  away  in  a  building 
adapted,  according  to  Miss  Lyon's  previous  statement,  to 
accommodate  only  about  eighty,  it  needs  more  knowledge 
of  economics  than  I  possess  to  explain.  Solomon  represents 
it  a  very  difficult  matter  to  dwell  even  with  one  brawling 
woman  in  a  wide  house.  But  where  humility  and  affection 
reign,  we  find  that  a  great  many  quiet  and  modest  women 
can  dwell  peaceably  together  in  a  single  habitation.  This 
has  been  the  experience  at  South  Hadley  almost  every  year 
since  the  school  was  opened.  For  the  fact  is,  that  many 
more  have  applied  for  admission  every  year  than  could  be 
well  accommodated,  and  the  teachers  have  always  been  in- 
duced to  receive  more  than  would  be  desirable  till  more 
rooms  were  built. 


EXPENSES  OF  THE  SCHOOL.  293 

Expenses  of  Lite  School  and  Salaries  of  Instructors. 

The  amount  of  term  time  in  the  seminary,  embraced  in 
three  sessions,  is  forty  weeks.  For  board  and  tuition  during 
that  time,  not  including  fuel  and  lights,  the  charge  was  fixed 
at  first  at  sixty  dollars,  and  has  ever  since  continued  the 
same.  This  sum  is  scarcely  more  than  a  third  of  what  is 
charged  at  most  female  seminaries  in  the  land  where  the 
same  elevated  system  of  instruction  is  given  ;  and  it  seems 
difficult  to  most  persons  to  conceive  how  so  low  a  rate  has 
enabled  the  school  to  sustain  itself,  and  even  to  get  relieved 
of  a  debt  of  some  thousands  of  dollars.  It  shows  the  great 
sagacity  of  Miss  Lyon's  views,  however,  that  she  judged  so 
accurately  of  the  proper  sum,  when  probably  her  most  judi- 
cious friends  would  have  told  her,  if  consulted,  that  it  was 
far  too  low  to  meet  the  expenses  of  the  school. 

But  when  we  inquire  as  to  the  salaries  of  the  teachers, 
we  see  one  of  the  secrets  on  which  this  lady  founded  her 
opinion.  She  meant  that  missionary  self-denial  and  economy 
should  be  exercised  by  all  who  had  any  thing  to  do  with  the 
seminary  ;  and  she  meant  to  set  the  example  herself.  She 
fixed  her  own  salary  at  two  hundred  dollars,  with  board, 
fuel,  and  lights  ;  and  when  subsequently  the  trustees  urged 
her  to  take  more,  she  always  refused.  Her  successor.  Miss 
Whitman,  on  account  of  feeble  health,  was  induced  to  take 
three  hundred  dollars.  The  salaries  of  the  other  teachers 
have  varied  from  one  hundred  and  twenty  to  two  hundred 
and  twenty-five  dollars,  with  board. 

Religious  Instruction. 

This  was  considered  the  most  important  object  for  which 
the  institution  was  founded  ;  and,  therefore,  every  thing  else 
was  held  as  subordinate  to  this.  But  such  views  did  not 
make  it  necessary,  save  in  peculiar  exigencies,  to  interfere 
with  the  regular  literary  exercises.  Nor  was  it  necessary  to 
25* 


294  THE    VICTORY    GAINED    AND    SECURED. 

make  religious  exercises  and  instruction  take  the  precedence 
of  the  literary  as  to  time.  But  the  former  were  made  to  as- 
sume such  a  position  as  to  show  to  all  the  school  that  the 
teachers  really  regarded  religion,  and  especially  personal 
piety,  as  of  more  consequence,  a  thousand  times,  than  every 
thing  else.  A  religious  influence  was  made,  as  it  were,  to 
permeate  every  thing  else,  and  to  advance  religion  was  the 
grand  ultimate  object  of  all  literary  efforts,  and,  indeed,  of 
every  action. 

The  number  of  religious  meetings  during  the  week  was 
not  large.  On  Sabbath  evening  was  one  for  those  without 
hope,  and  several  prayer  meetings  of  professors  at  the  same 
time.  During  the  week,  one  meeting  was  held  by  professing 
Christians  alone ;  another  monthly  or  semi-monthly,  and 
sometimes  oftener,  for  missionary  purposes.  At  these  meet- 
ings it  was  usually  customary  for  Miss  Lyon  to  take  up 
some  passage  of  Scripture,  and  deduce  instruction  from 
it  in  the  way  of  an  extemporaneous  sermon.  This  she  did, 
also,  several  times  in  a  week  at  morning  prayers;  in  all, 
about  five  times  a  week.  For  these  exercises  she  usually 
prepared  a  skeleton  of  the  subject.  To  all  these  religious 
labors  we  must  not  forget  to  add  a  Bible  class  by  the  other 
teachers  on  the  Sabbath,  whose  lesson  was  reviewed  during 
the  week. 

I  have  given  only  a  brief  outline  of  the  state  of  the  semi- 
nary when  first  opened,  and  of  the  plan  of  its  organization, 
because  I  prefer  to  let  Miss  Lyon  speak  for  herself.  A  year 
before  the  school  was  commenced,  she  sent  a  circular  to 
ladies  in  different  places,  soliciting  their  aid  in  furnishing 
furniture  for  the  rooms.  But  this  has  been  already  given  on 
page  232,  Part  II.  Some  months  later,  but  before  the  open- 
ing of  the  school,  she  prepared  a  "  General  View  of  the 
Principles  and  Design  of  the  Mount  Holyoke  Female  Semi- 
nary," which  was  printed  by  the  trustees  ;  and  in  1839  she 
got   out   another   pamphlet,   entitled    "Tendencies   of    the 


PRINCIPLES    OF    THE    SEMINARY.  295 

Principles  embraced  and  the  System  adopted  in  the  Mount 
Holyoke  Female  Seminary."  From  these  last  two  produc- 
tions we  shall  make  somewhat  copious  extracts,  both  because 
they  give  definitely  Miss  Lyon's  views  and  plans  as  to  the 
seminary,  and  contain  many  important  suggestions  concern- 
ing female  education. 

Principles  and  Design  of  the  Mount  Holyoke  Femah  Seminary. 

This  institution  is  established  at  South  Hadley,  Massachusetts,  It 
is  to  be  principally  devoted  to  the  preparing  of  female  teachers.  At 
the  same  time,  it  •will  qualify  ladies  for  other  spheres  of  usefulness. 
The  design  is  to  give  a  solid,  extensive,  and  ■well-balanced  English 
education,  connected  with  that  general  improvement,  that  moral 
culture,  and  those  enlarged  views  of  duty,  which  will  prepare  ladies 
to  be  educators  of  children  and  youth,  rather  than  to  fit  them  to  be 
mere  teachers,  as  the  term  has  been  technically  apphed.  Such  an 
education  is  needed  by  every  female  who  takes  the  charge  of  a 
school,  and  sustains  the  responsibility  of  guiding  the  whole  course 
and  of  forming  the  entire  character  of  those  committed  to  her  care. 
And  when  she  has  done  with  the  business  of  teaching  in  a  regular 
school,  she  wiU  not  give  up  her  profession ;  she  will  still  need  the 
same  well-balanced  education  at  the  head  of  her  OAvn  family  and  in 
guiding  her  own  household. 

1.  This  institution  professes  to  be  founded  on  the  high  principle 
of  enlarged  Christian  benevolence.  In  its  plans  and  in  its  appeals 
it  seeks  no  support  from  local  or  private  interest.  It  is  designed  en- 
tirely for  the  public  good,  and  the  trustees  would  adopt  no  measures 
not  in  accordance  with  this  design.  It  is  sacredly  consecrated  to 
the  great  Head  of  the  church,  and  they  would  not  seek  for  human 
approbation  by  any  means  which  will  not  be  well  pleasing  in  his 
sight. 

2.  The  institution  is  designed  to  be  permanent.  The  permanency 
of  an  institution  may  be  considered  as  consisting  of  two  particulars 
—  first,  its  perpetual  vitality,  and  second,  its  continual  prosperity 
and  usefubiess.  The  first  is  to  be  secured  in  the  same  manner  that 
the  principle  of  perpetual  life  in  our  higher  institutions  for  young 
men  has  been  so  effectually  preserved.  A  fund  is  to  be  committed 
to  an  independent,  self- perpetuating  board  of  trustees,  known  to  the 
churches  as  faithful,  responsible  men  ;  not  as  a  proprietary  invest- 


296  THE    VICTORY   GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

ment,  but  as  a  free  offering,  leaving  them  no  way  for  an  honorable 
retreat  from  their  trust,  and  binding  them  with  solemn  responsibili- 
ties to  hundreds  and  thousands  of  donors,  who  have  committed  theii 
sacred  charities  to  their  conscientious  fidelity.  Give  to  a  literarj 
institution,  on  this  principle,  an  amount  of  property  sufficient  to  be 
viewed  as  an  object  of  great  importance,  and  it  is  almost  impossiblo 
to  extinguish  its  vital  life  by  means  of  adversity.  How  firmly  have 
our  colleges  stood  amidst  the  clashing  elements  around  us,  and  the 
continual  overturnings  which  are  taking  place  in  the  midst  of  us  ! 

The  usefulness  of  this  institution,  hke  all  others,  must  depend  on 
its  character.  This  may  be  very  good  for  a  time,  where  there  is  no 
principle  of  perpetual  Ufe,  as  is  the  case  with  some  of  our  most  dis- 
tinguished female  seminaries.  Amidst  all  their  prosperity,  they  have 
no  solid  foundation,  and  in  themselves  no  sure  principle  of  continued 
existence.  Could  we  secure  to  our  public  institutions  the  continued 
labors  of  the  same  teachers  through  an  antcdiluvial  life,  the  preser- 
vation of  the  vital  principle  would  be  a  subject  of  much  less  conse- 
quence. But  in  view  of  the  present  shortened  life  of  man,  rendered 
shorter  stiU  by  disease  and  premature  decay,  and  in  view  of  the 
many  changes  which  are  ever  breaking  in  upon  the  continued  ser- 
vices of  those  to  whose  care  these  institutions  are  committed,  every 
reflecting  mind  must. regard  it  as  of  the  very  first  importance  to 
secure  to  them  this  principle,  especially  to  a  public  seminary  for  the 
raising  up  of  female  teachers. 

3.  The  institution  is  to  be  entirely  for  an  older  class  of  young 
ladies.  The  general  system  for  family  arrangements,  for  social  im- 
provement, for  the  division  of  time,  for  organizing  and  regulating 
the  school,  and  the  requirements  for  entrance,  will  be  adapted 
throughout  to  young  ladies  of  adult  age  and  of  mature  character. 
Any  provision  in  an  institution  like  this  for  younger  misses  miist  be 
a  public  loss  far  greater  than  the  individual  good.  Their  exclusion 
from  the  institution  will  produce  a  state  of  society  among  the  mem- 
bers exceedingly  pleasant  and  profitable  to  those  whose  great  desire 
is  to  be  prepared  to  use  all  their  talents  in  behalf  of  the  cause 
of  education,  and  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom ;  and  it  wUl  secure 
for  their  improvement  the  entire  labors  of  the  teachers,  without  an 
interruption  from  the  care  and  government  of  pupils  too  immature 
to  take  care  of  themselves. 

4.  The  young  ladies  are  to  take  a  part  in  the  domestic  work  of  the 
family.  This  also  is  to  be  on  the  principle  of  equality.  All  are  to 
take  a  part,  not  as  a  servile  labor,  for  which  they  are  to  receive  a 


DOMESTIC    WORK.  297 

small  weekly  remuneration,  but  as  a  gratuitous  service  to  the  insti- 
tution of  which  they  are  members,  designed  for  its  improvement 
and  elevation.  The  first  object  of  this  arrangement  is,  to  give  to  the 
institution  a  greater  degree  of  independence.  The  arrangements  for 
boarding  all  the  pupils  in  the  establishment  wiU  give  to  it  an  inde- 
pendence with  regard  to  private  families  in  the  neighborhood,  with- 
out wliich  it  would  be  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  secure  its  per- 
petual prosperity.  The  arrangements  for  the  domestic  work  will,  in 
a  great  measure,  relieve  it  from  another  source  of  depressing  de- 
pendence —  a  dependence  on  the  will  of  hired  domestics,  to  which 
many  a  family  in  New  England  is  subject. 

The  other  object  of  this  arrangement  is  to  promote  the  health,  the 
improvement,  and  the  happiness  of  the  pupils  ;  their  health,  by  its 
furnishing  them  with  a  little  daily  exercise  of  the  best  kind  ;  their 
improvement,  by  its  tending  to  presei-\'e  their  interest  in  domestic 
pursuits  ;  and  their  happiness,  by  its  relieving  them  from  that  ser- 
vile dependence  on  common  domestics,  to  which  young  ladies,  as 
mere  boarders  in  a  large  establishment,  are  often  subject,  to  their 
great  inconvenience.  The  adoption  of  a  feature  like  this,  in  an  in- 
stitution which  aims  to  be  better  endowed  than  any  other  existing 
female  seminary  in  the  country,  must  give  it  an  attitude  of  noble 
independence,  which  can  scarcely  fail  to  exert  an  elevating  influence 
on  its  members. 

This  cause  is  the  humble,  but  firm  and  efficient  patron  of  all  other 
branches  of  benevolence.  What  the  present  generation  is  beginning 
to  accomplish  for  the  salvation  of  the  world  it  seeks  to  preserve  and 
carry  forward  with  increasing  rapidity.  Whatever  of  conquest  is 
now  gained  it  seeks  to  secure  forever  from  the  encroachments  of  the 
enemy.  It  seeks  to  lay  the  foundation  strong,  on  which,  under  God, 
the  temple,  with  all  its  increasing  weight,  is  to  rise,  and  be  sus- 
tained, and  to  secure  it  from  injury  and  decay.  It  looks  abroad  on 
a  world  lying  in  wickedness.  It  beholds  with  painful  interest  the 
slow  progress  of  these  United  States  in  carrying  the  blessings  of  sal- 
vation to  the  two  hundred  millions,  who  are  the  estimated  proportion 
of  the  inhabitants  of  this  benighted  world  to  be  converted  to  God 
through  our  instrumentality.  And  as  it  attempts  in  vain  to  calcu- 
late the  time  when  the  work  shall  be  accomplished,  it  would  fain  in- 
crease its  progress  a  hundred  fold,  by  training  up  the  children  in  the 
way  they  should  go.  It  has  endeavored  to  fix  an  eye  on  the  distant 
point  of  futurity,  when,  according  to  a  fair  and  reasonable  computa- 
tion, this  nation,  with  all  its  increasing  millions,  and  the  inhabitants 


298  THE    VICTORY   GAINED    AND    SECURED. 

of  the  whole  earth,  shall  be  supplied  with  faithful,  educated  minis- 
ters of  the  gospel.  And  as  it  inquires,  in  vain,  "  When  shall  these 
things  be  ? "  and  as  it  attempts,  in  vain,  to  count  up  the  mil- 
lions on  millions  who  shall  go  down  to  everlasting  death  before 
that  time  can  arrive,  it  would  fain  strive,  with  unparalleled  efforts, 
through  the  children  of  our  country,  greatly  to  multiply  the  number 
of  ministers  during  the  next  generation,  and  to  carry  forward  the 
work  in  an  unexampled  and  increasing  ratio  through  the  generations 
which  shall  follow. 

The  object  of  this  institution  penetrates  too  far  into  futurity,  and 
takes  in  too  broad  a  view,  to  discover  its  claims  to  the  passing  mul- 
titude. "We  apj)eal  in  its  behalf  to  wise  men,  who  can  judge  what 
we  say.  We  appeal  to  those  who  can  venture  as  pioneers  in  the 
great  work  of  renovating  a  world.  Others  may  stand  waiting  for 
the  great  multitude  to  go  forward,  but  then  is  the  time  when  these 
men  feel  themselves  called  upon  to  make  their  greatest  efforts,  and 
to  do  their  noblest  deeds  of  benevolence.  Thus  we  hope  it  will  be 
in  behalf  of  this  institution. 

We  commend  this  enterprise  to  the  continued  prayers  and  efforts 
of  its  particular  friends,  of  all  those  who  have  enlisted  in  its  behalf, 
and  have  given  of  their  time,  their  influence,  and  their  substance. 
We  would  invite  them  to  come  with  us  around  the  same  sacred 
altar,  and  there  consecrate  this  beloved  institution,  as  first  fruits,  to 
the  Lord,  to  be  devoted  forever  to  his  service. 

This  enterprise,  thus  far,  has  been  under  the  care  of  a  kind  Prov- 
idence. It  has  not  been  carried  forward  by  might,  nor  by  power ; 
but  in  every  step  of  its  progress  the  good  hand  of  God  has  been 
upon  it.  Let  all  its  friends  bring  in  the  tithes  and  the  offerings,  and 
let  them  commit  the  disposing  of  the  Avhole  to  Him  who  can  accom- 
plish the  work  which  his  own  hands  have  commenced,  and  he  will 
pour  out  upon  this  institution,  and  the  cause  -with  which  it  is  con- 
nected, and  upon  the  children  and  j'outh  of  our  country,  and  of  the 
world,  a  blessing,  that  there  shall  not  be  room  enough  to  receive  it. 

Tendencies  of  the  Principles  embraced  and  the  System  adopted  in  the 
Mount  Holyoke  Female  Seminary. 

The  enterprise  of  founding  this  seminary  was  commenced  nearly 
five  years  ago.  More  than  three  years  were  occupied  in  preparing 
the  way,  in  raising  the  funds,  and  in  erecting  the  building  now 
occupied.  It  was  ready  for  the  reception  of  scholars  November 
8,  1837. 


RELIGIOUS    CULTURE.  299 

Tlie  original  plan  was  to  provide  for  two  hundred.  Only  the 
first  building  has  yet  been  erected.  This  can  accommodate  only 
ninety.  Though  it  is  a  noble  edifice,  and  well  adapted  to  its  end,  it 
is  but  a  beginning.  Full  one  half  of  the  funds  must  yet  be  raised. 
In  order  to  finish  the  plan,  at  least  twenty  thousand  dollars  more 
will  be  needed  for  the  buildings,  besides  perhaps  five  thoxisand  dol- 
lars or  more  for  furniture,  Kbrary,  and  apparatus. 

This  seminary  is  specific  in  its  character,  and,  of  course,  does  not 
provide  for  the  entire  education  of  a  young  lady.  Such  a  provision 
may  be  found  expedient  in  foreign  countries,  where  all  systems  can 
be  brought  under  the  rigid  rules  of  monarchy,  without  being  subject 
to  the  continual  encroachments  and  changes  necessarily  resulting 
from  a  free  government.  But  in  our  country  it  is  doubted  whether 
female  seminaries  generally  can  attain  a  high  standard  of  excellence 
till  they  become  more  specific  and  less  mixed  in  their  character. 

1.  Religions  Culture.  —  This  lies  at  the  foundation  of  that  female 
character  which  the  founders  of  this  seminary  have  contemplated. 
Without  this,  their  efforts  would  entirely  fail  of  their  design.  This 
institution  has  been  built  for  the  Lord,  that  it  might  be  peculiarly 
his  own.  It  has  been  solemnly  and  publicly  dedicated  to  his  ser- 
vice. It  has  been  embalmed  by  prayer  in  many  hearts,  and  conse- 
crated around  many  a-familj^  altar.  The  donors  and  benefactors  of 
this  institution,  with  its  trustees  and  teachers,  have  felt  a  united 
obligation  to  seek,  in  behalf  of  this  beloved  seminary,  "first  the 
kingdom  of  God  and  his  righteousness."  Endeavors  have  been 
made  to  raise  the  funds,  and  to  lay  the  whole  foundation  on  Chris- 
tian principles,  to  organize  a  school  and  form  a  family  that  from  day 
to  day  might  illustrate  the  precepts  and  spii-it  of  the  gospel.  Public 
worship,  the  Bible  lesson,  and  other  appropriate  duties  of  the  Sab- 
bath, a  regular  observance  of  secret  devotion,  suitable  attention  to 
religious  instruction  and  social  prayer  meetings,  and  the  maintaining 
of  a  consistent  Christian  deportment,  are  considered  the  most  im- 

-portant  objects  of  regard,  for  both  teachers  and  scholars.  The 
friends  of  this  seminary  have  sought  that  this  might  be  a  spot 
where  souls  shall  be  born  of  God,  and  where  much  shall  be  done 
for  maturing  and  elevating  Christian  character.  The  smiles  of 
Providence  and  the  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit  have  encouraged 
them  to  hope  that  their  desires  wiU  not  be  in  vain. 

2.  Cultivation  of  Benevolence.  —  This  is  implied  in  the  last  partic- 
ular, but  it  needs  special  care  in  a  lady's  education.  While  many 
of  the  present  active  generation  are  fixed  in  their  habits,  and  will 


300  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

never  rise  above  the  standard  of  benevolence  akeady  adopted,  the 
eye  of  hope  rests  with  anxious  solicitude  on  the  next  generation. 
But  who  shall  take  all  the  little  ones,  and  by  precept,  and  still  more 
by  example,  enforce  on  them  the  sentiments  of  benevolence,  -and, 
aided  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  train  them  up  from  their  infancy  for  the 
service  of  the  Redeenjier  ?  Is  there  not  here  an  appropriate  sphere 
for  the  efforts  of  woman,  through  whose  moulding  hands  all  our 
children  and  youth  must  inevitably  pass  ? 

How  important,  then,  is  it  that  the  education  of  a  female 
should  be  conducted  on  strictly  benevolent  principles !  and  how 
important  that  this  spirit  should  be  the  presiding  genius  in  every 
female  school !  Should  it  not  be  so  incorporated  with  its  nature, 
and  so  -mought  into  its  very  existence,  that  it  cannot  prosper  with- 
out it  ?  Such  a  school  the  friends  of  this  seminary  have  sought  to 
furnish.  They  would  have  the  spirit  of  benevolence  manifest  in  all 
its  principles,  and  in  the  manner  of  conferring  its  privileges,  in  the 
mutual  duties  it  requires  of  its  members,  and  in  the  claims  it  makes 
on  them  to  devote  their  future  lives  to  doing  good. 

3.  Intellectual  Culture.  —  This  trait  of  character  is  of  inestimable 
value  to  a  lady  who  desires  to  be  useful.  A  thorough  and  well- 
balanced  intellectual  education  will  be  to  her  a  valuable  auxiliary 
in  every  department  of  duty. 

This  seminary  has  peculiar  advantages  for  gaining  a  high  intel- 
lectual standard.  The  age  required  for  admission  wUl  secure  to  the 
pupils,  as  a  whole,  greater  mental  power,  and  the  attainments  re- 
quired for  admission  wUl  secure  to  the  institution  a  higher  standard 
of  scholarship. 

4.  Physical  Culture,  —  The  value  of  health  to  a  lady  is  inestimable. 
Her  appropriate  duties  are  so  numerous  and  varied,  and  so  constant 
in  their  demands,  and  so  imperious  in  the  moment  of  their  calls,  as 
wiU  render  this  treasure  to  her  above  price.  How  difficult  is  it  for 
her  to  perform  all  her  duties  faithfully  and  successfully,  unless  she 
possesses  at  all  times  a  calm  mind,  an  even  temper,  a  cheerful  heart, 
and  a  happy  face !  But  a  feeble  system  and  a  nervous  frame  are 
often  the  direct  antagonists  of  these  indispensable  traits  in  a  lady's 
character.  A  gentleman  may  possibly  live  and  do  some  good  with- 
out much  health  ;  but  what  can  a  lady  do,  unless  she  takes  the  atti- 
tude of  an  invalid,  and  seeks  to  do  good  principally  by  patience  and 
submission  ?  If  a  gentleman  cannot  do  his  work  in  one  hour,  he 
may  perhaps  do  it  in  another ;  but  a  lady's  duties  often  allow  of  no 
compromise  in  hours.     If  a  gentleman  is  annoyed  and  vexed  with 


PHYSICAL    CULTURE.  301 

the  nervousness  of  his  feeble  frame,  he  may  perhaps  use  it  to  some 
advantage,  as  he  attempts  to  move  the  world  by  his  pen,  or  by  his 
voice.  But  a  lady  cannot  make  such  a  use  of  this  infirmity  in  her 
influence  over  her  children  and  family  —  an  influence  which  must 
be  at  all  times  under  the  control  of  gentleness  and  equanimity. 
Much  has  been  said  on  this  subject,  but  enough  has  not  been  do)ie, 
in  our  systems  of  education,  to  promote  the  health  of  young  ladies. 
This  is  an  object  of  special  regard  in  this  seminary. 

The  time  is  all  regularly  and  systematically  divided.  The  hours 
for  rising  and  retiring  are  early.  The  food  is  plain  and  simple,  but 
well  prepared,  and  from  the  best  materials.  No  article  of  second 
quality  of  the  kind  is  ever  purchased  for  the  family,  and  no  stan- 
dard of  cooking  is  allowed  but  that  of  doing  every  thing  as  well  as  it 
can  be  done.  The  day  is  so  divided  that  the  lessons  can  be  Avell 
learned,  and  ample  time  allowed  for  sleep ;  the  hour  for  exercise  in 
the  domestic  department  can  be  secured  without  interruption,  and 
a  half  hour  in  the  morning  and  evening  for  secret  devotion,  also 
half  an  hour  for  vocal  music,  and  twenty  minutes  for  calisthenics. 
Besides,  there  are  the  leisure  hours,  in  which  much  is  done  of  sewing, 
knitting,  and  ornamental  needlework ;  and  much  is  enjoyed  in  social 
intercourse,  in  walking,  and  in  botanical  excursions.  This  institu- 
tion presupposes  a  good  degree  of  health  and  correct  habits.  But 
little  can  be  done  in  this  seminary,  or  any  other,  for  those  whose  con- 
stitution is  already  impaired,  or  whose  physical  habits,  up  to  the  age 
of  sixteen,  are  particiilarly  defective.  This  institution  professes  to 
make  no  remarkable  physical  renovations.  But  it  is  believed  that  a 
young  lady  who  is  fitted  for  the  system,  and  who  can  voluntarily 
and  cheerfully  adopt  it  as  her  own,  will  find  this  place  favorable  for 
preserving  unimpaired  the  health  she  brings  with  her,  and  for  pro- 
moting and  establishing  the  good  physical  habits  already  acquii-ed. 

5.  Social  and  domestic  Character.  —  The  excellence  of  the  female 
character  in  this  respect  consists  principally  in  a  preparation  to  be 
happy  herself  in  her  social  and  domestic  relations,  and  to  make  all 
others  happy  around  her.  All  her  duties,  of  whatever  kind,  are  in  an 
important  sense  social  and  domestic.  They  are  retired  and  private, 
and  not  public,  like  those  of  the  other  sex.  Whatever  she  does  be- 
yond her  own  family  should  be  but  another  application  and  illustra- 
tion of  social  and  domestic  excellence.  She  may  occupy  the  place 
of  an  important  teacher,  but  her  most  vigorous  labors  should  be 
modest  and  unobtrusive.  She  may  go  on  a  foreign  mission,  but  she 
will  there  find  a  retired  spot,  where,  away  from  the  public  gaze,  she 
26 


302  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

may  wear  out  or  lay  down  a  valuable  life.  She  may  promote  the 
interests  of  the  Sabbath  school,  or  be  an  angel  of  mercy  to  the  poor 
and  afliicted ;  she  may  seek  in  various  ways  to  increase  the  spirit  of 
benevolence  and  the  zeal  for  the  cause  of  missions ;  and  she  may 
labor  for  the  salvation  of  souls  ;  but  her  work  is  to  be  done  by  the 
whisper  of  her  still  and  gentle  voice,  by  the  silent  step  of  her  \m- 
wearied  feet,  and  by  the  power  of  her  uniform  and  consistent 
example. 

The  following  elements  should  be  embraced  in  the  social  and 
domestic  character  of  a  lady:  — 

(a.)  Ecoiwmy.  —  Economy  consists  in  providing  well  at  little  com- 
parative expense.  It  necessarily  implies  good  judgment  and  good 
taste.  It  can  be  equally  manifested  in  the  tasteful  decorations  of  a 
palace  and  in  the  simple  comforts  of  a  cottage.  Suppose  all  ladies 
possessed  this  in  a  high  degree,  how  much  more  would  be  found  in 
families  of  comfort  and  convenience,  of  taste  and  refinement,  of  ed- 
ucation and  improvement,  of  charity  and  good  works  ! 

This  institution,  it  is  well  known,  is  distinguished  for  its  econom- 
ical featiires.  Economy,  however,  is  not  adopted  principally  for  its 
own  sake,  but  as  a  means  of  education,  as  a  mode  of  producing 
favorable  effects  on  character,  and  of  preparing  young  ladies  for  the 
duties  of  life.  The  great  object  is  to  make  the  school  really  better. 
An  economical  character  is  to  be  formed  by  precept,  by.  practice,  and 
by  example.  Example  has  great  effect,  not  only  in  furnishing  a 
model  for  imitation,  but  also  in  proving  that  economy  is  practicable, 
which  is  one  of  the  most  essential  requisites  for  success.  Let  a 
young  lady  spend  two  or  thi-ee  years,  on  intimate  terms,  in  a  family 
distinguished  for  a  judicious  and  consistent  illustration  of  this  prin- 
ciple, and  the  effects  cannot  be  lost. 

(b.)  A  suitable  Feeling  of  Independence. — There  are  two  kinds  of 
dependence,  very  unlike  in  their  nature,  but  both  inconsistent  with 
the  highest  degree  of  domestic  bliss.  To  one  of  these  ladies  in 
cities  and  large  towns  are  more  particularly  subject;  but  it  is  an 
evil  from  which  ladies  in  the  country  are  not  wholly  exempt.  It  is 
a  feeling  of  dependence  on  the  will  of  servants.  Every  lady  should 
be  80  educated,  as  far  as  it  can  be  done,  that  she  will  feel  able  to 
take  care  of  herself,  and,  if  need  be,  of  a  family,  whatever  may  be 
her  situation  in  life,  and  whatever  her  station  in  society.  Other- 
wise, if  she  remains  in  these  United  States,  she  may  be  rendered  un- 
happy by  constantly  feeling  that  her  daily  comforts  are  at  the  control 
of  her  servants,  who  in  such  cases  are  often  unfaithful,  unreasonable, 


DOMESTIC   INDEPENDENCE.  303 

and  dissatisfied.  The  withering  effects  of  family  perplexities  on  the 
social  character  is  well  known  to  every  observer  of  domestic  life.  On 
the  other  hand,  how  much  happiness  often  results  from  a  suitable 
feeling  of  independence.  A  lady  in  one  of  our  large  cities,  who  is 
distinguished  for  having  faithful  servants,  considers  the  secret  as 
lying  in  her  feeling  of  independence.  If  one,  in  a  fit  of  caprice, 
proposes  leaving  her,  she  has  only  to  say,  "  You  may  go  to-day. 
If  need  be,  I  can  take  care  of  my  own  fanuly  until  your  place  is 
supplied." 

Against  this  kind  of  dependence  this  institution  seeks  to  exert  its 
decided  influence,  'flie  whole  aspect  of  the  family,  and  aU  the  plans 
of  the  school,  are  suited  to  cultivate  habits  entirely  the  reverse.  In 
the  domestic  independence  of  the  household  all  have  an  interest. 
The  daily  hour  for  these  duties  returns  to  each  at  the  appointed 
time,  and  no  one  inquires  whether  it  can  be  omitted  or  transferred 
to  another.  No  one  receives  any  pecuniary  reward  for  her  services, 
and  no  one  seeks  with  her  money  to  deprive  herself  of  the  privilege 
of  sharing  in  the  freedom,  simpUcity,  and  independence  of  her  home. 

There  is  anotiier  kind  of  independence  entirely  different  in  its 
nature,  but  equally  essential  to  a  high  degree  of  domestic  happiness. 
This  is  the  result  of  economy  already  considered.  It  is  the  power 
of  bringing  personal  and  family  expenses  fairly  and  easily  within 
the  means  enjoyed.  The  whole  system  adopted  in  this  seminary  is 
designed  to  give  a  living  illustration  of  the  principle  by  which  this 
power  is  to  be  gained.  This  ability  will  be  of  immense  value  in 
active  hfe.  It  will  prepare  one  to  sustain  the  reverses  of  fortune 
with  submission,  or  to  meet  the  claims  of  hospitality  and  charity 
with  promptness.  This  kind  of  independence  might  be  to  the  great 
cause  of  benevolence  like  an  overflo^ving  fountain,  whose  streams 
wUl  never  fail. 

(c.)  Skill  and  Expedition  in  household  Duties.  —  Let  a  young  lady 
despise  this  branch  of  the  duties  of  woman,  and  she  despises  the 
appointments  of  the  Author  of  her  existence.  The  laws  of  God, 
made  known  by  nature  and  by  providence,  and  also  by  the  Bible, 
enjoin  these  duties  on  the  sex,  and  she  cannot  violate  them  with 
impunity.  Let  her  have  occasion  to  preside  at  the  head  of  her  own 
family  and  table,  and  she  may  despair  of  enjoying  herself,  or  of 
giving  to  others  the  highest  degree  of  domestic  happiness.  Does 
Bhe  seek  to  do  good  by  teaching  ?  The  time,  we  hope,  is  not  far  dis- 
tant, when  no  mother  -svill  commit  her  daughters  to  the  influence 
of  such  a  teacher.     Does  she  seek  to  do  good  in  the  Sabbath  school  ? 


304  THE    VICTORY   GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

How  can  she  enforce  all  the  duties  to  God  and  man  in  their  due 
proportion  while  she  contemns  one  of  the  most  obvious  laws  of  her 
nature  ?  Would  she  endeavor  to  show  the  poor  and  the  ignorant  how 
to  find  the  comforts  of  life  ?  How  can  she  teach  what  she  has  never 
learned  ?  Does  she  become  the  wife  of  a  missionary  ?  How  does 
her  heart  sink  ^\'ithin  her,  as  her  desponding  husband  strives  in 
vain  to  avoid  the  evils  resulting  from  her  inefficiency ! 

This  institution  is  not  designed  to  conduct  this  branch  of  a  young 
lady's  education.  It  would  not  take  this  privilege  from  the  mother. 
But  it  does  seek  to  preserve  the  good  habits  already  acquired,  and 
to  make  a  favorable  impression  with  regard  to  the  value  of  system, 
promptness,  and  fidehty  in  this  branch  of  the  duties  of  woman. 

(d.)  An  obliging  Disposition.  —  This  is  of  special  importance  in 
forming  a  lovely,  social,  and  domestic  character.  Young  ladies  at 
school,  with  all  the  conveniences  and  comforts  which  they  shoiild 
have,  and  with  all  the  benefits  of  system  which  they  should  enjoy, 
can  have  but  little  opportunity  for  self-denial.  This  little  should  be 
used  to  the  best  advantage.  To  bring  every  such  opportunity  to 
bear  on  the  character  has  been  a  leading  object  in  all  the  plans  of 
this  institution,  in  the  organization  of  the  school,  and  especially  in 
the  arrangements  of  the  family.  As  the  domestic  work  is  done  en- 
tirely by  the  young  ladies,  the  varied  and  mutual  duties  of  the  day 
furnish  many  little  opportunities  for  the  manifestation  of  a  generous, 
obliging,  and  self-denying  spirit,  the  influence  of  which,  we  trust, 
will  be  felt  through  life.  "  He  that  is  faithful  in  the  least  is  faith- 
ful also  in  much,"  is  a  motto  for  the  daily  guidance  of  this 
household. 

(e.)  A  Spirit  of  Gratitude  and  a  Sense  of  Obligation.  —  Domestic 
life  is  little  else  but  a  continued  scene  of  conferring  and  receiving 
favors.  How  much  of  happiness  depends  on  their  being  conferred 
with  the  manifest  evidence  of  a  willing  heart,  and  on  their  being 
received  with  suitable  tokens  of  gratitude  !  These  two  lovely  traits 
go  hand  in  hand,  not  often  to  be  separated.  The  formation  of  a 
character  that  can  be  grateful  is  an  object  of  special  importance  in  a 
lady's  education.  Parents  should  seek  to  give  to  their  daughters 
privileges,  and  especially  the  means  of  education,  in  a  manner 
suited  to  lead  them  to  realize  that  they  are  favors  for  which  grati- 
tude is  due. 

To  a  spirit  of  ingratitude  the  genius  of  this  institution  is  specially 
opposed.  On  entering  this  seminary,  young  ladies  can  scarcely 
ayoid  feeling  that  they  are  sharing  the  fruits  of  benevolent  efforts, 


TEACHING    woman's    BUSINESS.  305 

that  they  are  enjoying  privileges  which  they  cannot  purchase,  that 
they  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  the  founders  which  gold  and 
silver  can  never  cancel,  and  which  can  be  met  only  by  a  useful 
Christian  life. 

These  are  some  of  the  influences  which  this  institution  has  a  ten- 
dency to  exert  on  its  members. 

The  principles  of  the  system  carried  out  and  extended  would  also 
have  a  favorable  influence  on  the  cause  of  education. 

1.  In  furnishing  a  Supply  of  female  Teachers.  —  Teaching  is  really 
the  business  of  almost  every  useful  woman.  If  there  are  any  to 
whom  this  does  not  apply,  they  may  be  considered  as  exceptions  to 
a  general  rule.  Of  course,  no  female  is  well  educated  who  has  not 
all  the  acquisitions  necessary  for  a  good  teacher.  The  most  essential 
qualifications  are  thorough  mental  culture,  a  well-balanced  charac- 
ter, a  benevolent  heart,  an  ability  to  communicate  knowledge  and 
apply  it  to  practice,  an  acquaintance  with  human  nature,  and  the 
power  of  controlling  the  minds  of  others. 

But  it  is  not  enough  that  a  great  number  of  ladies  are  well  edu- 
cated. They  must  also  have  benevolence  enough  to  engage  in  teach- 
ing, when  other  duties  will  allow  and  when  their  labors  are  heeded. 
Female  teachers  should  not  expect  to  be  fully  compensated  for  their 
services,  unless  it  be  by  kindness  and  gratitude. 

There  are  many  other  chords  in  female  hearts  which  will  vibrate 
much  more  tenderly  and  powerfully  than  this.  There  is  a  large 
and  increasing  number  of  educated  ladies,  who  will  make  the  best 
of  teachers,  but  who  can  be  allured  much  more  by  respectful  atten- 
tion, by  kindness  and  gratitude,  by  suitable  school-rooms  and  appa- 
ratus, and  other  facilities  for  rendering  their  labors  pleasant  and  suc- 
cessful, than  they  can  by  the  prospect  of  a  pecuniary  reward. 

The  spirit  of  this  seminary  is  suited  not  only  to  increase  the 
number  of  educated  ladies,  but  to  enforce  on  them  the  obligation  to 
use  their  talents  for  the  good  of  others,  especially  in  teaching.  It 
is  hoped  it  may  also  lead  them  to  be  more  willing  to  take  any  school 
and  in  any  place  where  their  services  are  most  needed. 

2.  In  proinoting  the  Prosperity  of  Common  Schools.  —  Whoever  will 
devise  means  by  which  reading,  spelling,  arithmetic,  geography,  and 
grammar  shall  receive  as  thorough  attention  in  common  schools  as 
they  deserve,  and  whoever  will  throw  inducements  before  the  older 
female  scholars  to  remain  in  them  longer  and  attend  thoroughly  to 
these  branches,  as  an  example  to  others,  will  do  much  to  elevate 
their  standard.     Such  an  influence  this  seminary  seeks  to  exert. 

26* 


306  THE    VICTORY   GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

3.  In  counteracting/  certain  errors  which  have  prevailed  to  some  extent 
in  female  ediication. 

First  Error.  Tasking  the  Mind  too  early  with  severe  mental  Disci- 
pline, —  The  evils  of  this  course  are  beginning  to  be  felt  by  careful 
observers  of  the  human  mind  and  of  human  character.  When  the 
effort  is  attended  with  the  greatest  success,  there  is  generally  the 
greatest  injury.  The  most  discouraging  field  which  any  teacher  was 
ever  called  to  cultivate  is  the  mind  of  a  young  lady  who  has  been 
studying  all  her  days,  and  has  gone  over  most  of  the  natural  and 
moral  sciences  without  any  valuable  improvement,  until  she  is  tired 
of  school,  tired  of  books,  and  tired  almost  of  life.  As  this  institu- 
tion proposes  to  conduct  young  ladies  through  a  regular  intellectual 
course,  after  the  age  of  sixteen,  its  influence  will  be  against  this 
error. 

Second  Error,  Deferrinff  some  Parts  of  Education  till  too  late  a 
Period.  —  Among  the  things  neglected  till  too  late  a  period  are  the 
manners,  the  cultivation  of  the  voice,  including  singing,  pronuncia- 
tion, and  all  the  characteristics  of  good  reading,  gaining  skill  and 
expedition  in  the  common  necessary'  mechanical  operations,  such  as 
sewing,  knitting,  writing,  and  drawing,  and  acquiring,  by  daily  prac- 
tice, a-  knowledge  and  a  love  of  domestic  pursuits.  To  these  might 
be  added  some  things  which  depend  almost  entirely  on  the  memory, 
such  as  spelling,  and  others  which  are  suited  to  lay  the  foundation 
of  a  literary  taste,  such  as  a  judicious  course  of  reading,  practice  in 
composition,  &c.  Those  who  are  to  attend  to  instrumental  music, 
the  ornamental  branches,  and  the  pronunciation  of  foreign  languages, 
must  commence  early. 

Third  Error,  Placing  Daughters  too  young  in  a  Boarding-school  or 
large  Seminary.  —  A  common  boarding-school  is  not  a  suitable  place 
for  a  little  girl.  She  needs  the  home  of  her  childhood,  or  one 
like  it.  Direct  individual  attention,  such  as  can  be  given  by  no  one 
who  has  the  care  of  many,  is  the  necessary  means  of  forming  her 
character,  of  cultivating  her  manners,  of  developing  her  affections, 
and  of  nurtuxing  all  that  is  lovely  and  of  good  report.  She  wants 
the  uninterrupted  sympathies  of  a  mother's  heart.  She  needs  a 
constant  and  gentle  hand,  leading  her  singly  along  in  the  path  of 
safety  and  improvement.  Perhaps  the  evils  of  a  boarding-house  are 
most  unfavorable  on  her  character  just  as  she  is  entering  her  teens. 
Who  can  guide  this  self-sufficient  age  but  the  mother,  who  has 
gained  a  permanent  place  in  her  affections  and  a  decided  influence 
over  her  life  ?    Who  but  the  mother,  ^vho  first  taught  her  to  obey, 


■t.- 


LARGE    SEMINARIES.  307 

can  lay  on  her  the  necessary  restrictions  ■without  exposing  her  to 
form  the  unlovely  trait  of  character  gained  by  complaining  of  those 
whom  she  should  love  and  respect,  and  who  deserve  her  gratitude  ? 

4.  In  giving  jiist  Views  of  the  Advantages  of  large  female  Semina- 
ries. —  Such  institutions  furnish  peculiar  privileges,  which  cannot 
be  secured  oy  smaller  schools  ;  but  in  most  cases  they  have  not  been 
able  to  produce  their  legitimate  results.  They  have  often  suffered 
for  the  want  of  accommodations  and  other  facilities  for  successful 
operation,  from  their  temporary  and  luisettled  existence,  from  their 
want  of  system,  and  sometimes  from  too  public  a  location,  and  too 
public  an  aspect  in  their  features.  Their  efforts  also  to  accommodate 
all  ages  and  all  classes  often  prevent  their  having  any  fixed  or  de- 
terminate character.  This  institution  seeks  to  avoid  all  these  evils, 
and  to  develop  the  real  advantages  of  a  large  seminary. 

In  order  that  a  lady  may  have  the  most  thorough  education,  she 
should  spend  a  number  of  years  in  close  intellectual  application, 
after  her  mental  powers  have  acquired  sufficient  strength,  and  her 
physical  system  sufficient  maturity,  and  after  she  has  all  the  neces- 
sary preparation.  This  must  be  during  the  best  part  of  her  life, 
when  every  year  is  worth  more  than  can  be  estimated  in  gold  and 
silver.  Facilities  for  success  should  be  given  her,  which  will  be  an 
ample  rcAvard  for  the  sacrifice  of  so  much  time.  -  Whoever  has 
undertaken  to  organize  a  school  has  had  abundant  evidence  that 
all  these  points  cannot  be  gained  where  the  number  is  not  large. 
This  seminary  is  able  now  to  secure  all  these  advantages  in  some 
degree,  but  not  so  perfectly  as  it  will  when  the  two  hundred  can  be 
received. 

The  influence  of  a  large  seminary  on  the  social  character  is  also 
important.  The  very  discipline  necessary  to  preserve  little  girls 
fi-om  exposure  to  injury,  and  to  cultivate  the  principles  of  virtue 
and  loveliness,  is  attended  with  some  necessary  evils  which  will  need 
a  pruning  hand  at  a  maturer  age.  Not  the  least  prominent  of  these 
is  a  narrowness  of  soul,  giving  her  limited  views  of  others. 

The  spirit  of  monopolizing  privileges  is  to  some  extent  the  effect 
of  giving  to  a  little  girl  all  that  individual  care  and  affectionate 
attention  which  her  cultivation  demands.  A  large  seminary,  and 
more  especially  a  large  family,  have  a  tendency  to  remove  this. 
The  young  lady  needs  to  feel  herself  a  member  of  a  large  commu- 
nity, where  the  interests  of  others  are  to  be  sought  equally  with  her 
own.  She  needs  to  learn  by  practice,  as  well  as  by  principle,  that 
individual  accommodations  and  private  interests  are  to  be  sacrificed 


308  THE    VICTORY    GAINED    AND    SECURED. 

for  the  public  good ;  and  she  needs  to  know  from  experience  that 
those  who  make  such  a  sacrifice  will  receive  an  ample  reward  in,  the 
improvement  of  the  community  among  whom  they  are  to  dwell. 

5.  In  giving  the  Claims  of  large  female  Seminaries  an  acknowledged 
Place  among  the  other  Objects  of  public  Beneficence.  —  The  claims  of 
those  for  the  other  sex  were  admitted  two  hundred  years  ago ;  and 
the  colleges,  academies,  and  theological  seminaries,  all  over  the  land, 
show  that  the  wise  and  the  good  have  not  been  weary  in  well 
doing.  How  ridiculous  would  be  the  attempt  to  found  colleges  in 
the  manner  that  some  female  seminaries  have  been  founded  !  Sup- 
pose a  gentleman,  having  a  large  family  depending  on  him  for  sup- 
port, finds  his  health  not  sufficient  for  the  duties  of  his  profession. 
Casting  his  eye  around,  he  looks  on  the  office  of  a  president  of  a 
college  as  affording  more  ample  means,  and  a  more  pleasant  and 
respectable  situation  for  his  family,  than  any  other  he  can  command.* 
But  a  new  college  must  be  founded  to  furnish  him  the  place.  He 
selects  a  large  village  in  New  England,  or  at  the  west,  or  at  the 
south,  as  may  best  favor  the  accomplishment  of  his  object,  and 
where  he  can  find  buildings  which  he  can  buy  or  rent  on  some  condi- 
tions, though  they  may  be  far  from  being  adapted  to  such  an  end. 
He  purchases  his  apparatus,  or  has  none,  and  procures  professors  on 
hia  own  responsibility.  Thus  prepared,  he  commences,  making  his 
charge  to  the  students  such  as  will  meet  the  rent  of  buildings,  fur- 
niture, and  apparatus,  and  the  salaries  of  his  professors,  besides  fur- 
nishing a  handsome  support  to  his  own  family.  What  could  such  a 
college  do  to  encourage  thorough  and  systematic  education  in  our 
country  ?  But  this  is  scarcely  a  caricature  of  the  manner  in  which 
some  female  seminaries  have  been  founded. 

We  cannot  hope  for  a  state  of  things  essentially  better  till  the 
principle  is  admitted  that  female  seminaries,  designed  for  the  public 
benefit,  must  be  founded  by  the  hand  of  public  benevolence,  and  be 
subject  to  the  rules  enjoined  by  such  benevolence.  Let  this  princi- 
ple be  fully  admitted,  and  let  it  have  sufficient  time  to  produce  its 
natural  effects,  and  it  will  be  productive  of  more  important  results 
than  can  be  easily  estimated.  Then  our  large  seminaries  may  be 
permanent,  with  all  the  mutual  responsibility  and  cooperation  which 
the  principle  of  permanency  produces. 

Such  was  the  beginning  of  what  we  call  a  victory  in  this 
enterprise.     In  reality,  so  great  were  the  obstacles  in  Miss 


FIRST   ANNIVERSARY.  309 

Lyon's  way  that  she  could  not  for  a  moment  lay  aside  her 
armor.  Less  than  half  the  money  requisite  to  complete  the 
work  had  been  obtained,  and  several  new  features,  hereto- 
fore untried  in  educational  projects,  were  to  be  put  to  the 
test.  It  was,  therefore,  still  a  struggle  so  severe  as  hardly 
to  permit  the  leader  in  it  to  draw  her  breath  freely.  But  the 
first  year  was  now  coming  to  a  close,  and  success  had 
smiled  on  the  enterprise,  inspiring  still  stronger  hope  for  the 
future. 

The  anniversary  at  this  seminary  is  always  a  season  of 
much  interest,  and  attracts  many  visitors.  The  first  one  has 
been  a  model  for  all  the  rest  up  to  this  time.  It  happens  in 
August,  and  on  Thursday.  For  at  least  two  days  previous, 
public  examinations  are  conducted  in  the  seminary  hall, 
which  is  very  spacious.  On  the  forenoon  of  Thursday, 
it  is  crowded  by  listeners.  Several  selected  young  ladies 
read  compositions,  written,  however,  by  other  members  of 
the  school.  About  noon,  the  pupils,  teachers,  and  trustees 
go  in  procession  to  the  church  at  a  little  distance,  where 
an  address  is  delivered  by  some  gentleman,  previously  se- 
lected. The  diplomas  are  then  delivered,  with  a  brief 
address,  by  the  secretary  of  the  trustees,  to  the  senior  class. 
Afterwards,  the  school,  with  invited  friends,  return  to  the 
seminary  to  dinner.  It  may  be  interesting  to  read  a  brief 
account  of  the  first  occasion  of  this  sort  in  a  letter  from 
Miss  Lyon  to  Miss  Grant. 

"  South  Hadlet,  August  27,  1838. 
"  My  dear  Miss  Grant  : 

"  We  have  finished  our  first  year.  I  did  want  to  see  you  here 
very  much.  I  send  one  of  our  compositions,  which  perhaps 
you  may  enjoy  hearing  read  some  time  for  your  amusement. 
I  will  also  send  the  impression  of  our  seal.  You  will  ob- 
serve that  the  device  is  designed  as  an  illustration  of  the 
quotation  of   Scripture.      Our  examinations  were   Monday 


310  THE    VICTORY   GAINED    AND    SECURED. 

afternoon,  Tuesday  forenoon,  and  Thursday  forenoon.  On 
Wednesday,  more  than  half  our  young  ladies  went  to  Am- 
herst to  commencement.  The  remainder  prepared  for  the 
next  day.  The  trustees  and  clergymen  were  invited  to  dine 
with  us  on  Thursday,  and  some  other  individuals.  We  ex- 
tended our  tables  to  accommodate  about  forty  more  than  our 
own  family.  We  had  them  just  filled.  This  added  consid- 
erably to  my  cares.  But  the  agitation  of  the  question  about 
gf^,ing  to  the  meeting-house  on  Thursday  afternoon  seemed 
almost  to  add  more,  when  I  had  just  all  I  could  do.  It  came 
up  once  or  twice,  and  was  settled  in  the  negative,  as  I  felt  a 
great  reluctance  to  it.  After  Dr.  Hawes  came,  on  Wednes- 
day evening,  the  subject  was  again  discussed.  I  found  that 
the  trustees.  Dr.  H.,  and  the  other  gentlemen  were  all  be- 
coming decided  that  it  was  best  to  go  to  the  meeting-house ; 
I  thought  it  the  most  modest  to  acquiesce.  The  certificates 
were  given  at  the  close  of  the  services,  but  no  other  exer- 
cise differed  from  a  common  public  meeting.  It  did  not 
appear  unsuitable,  as  I  thought  it  would,  and  I  was  very  glad 
that  I  consented.  The  meeting-house  was  full,  and  I  think 
some  of  our  donors  would  have  been  dissatisfied  if  we  had 
met  in  the  seminary  hall.  Our  certificates  were  signed  by 
Miss  Caldwell  and  myself,  and  simply  countersigned  by  the 
secretary  of  the  board,  Mr.  Condit.  Of  course  the  giving 
of  the  certificates  devolved  on  Mr.  Condit.  He  did  it  in  his 
neat,  elegant  manner.  Dr.  Hawes's  address  was  good  com- 
mon sense.  Mr.  Boies,  of  Boston,  made  the  first  prayer, 
and  Dr.  Carr  the  last.  I  think  of  you  often,  very  often  ;  1 
love  to  think  of  you  when  I  am  alone,  and  no  one  present  but 
God,  our  covenant-keeping  God.  I  should  love  just  to  look 
on  you  from  day  to  day,  and  give  you  a  little  of  heartfelt 
sympathy  ;  but  you  have  a  Friend  that  sticketh  closer  than  a 
brother.  My  heart's  desire  and  prayer  to  God  is,  that  this 
Friend  may  be  ever  with  you,  with  his  consoling  presence." 


THE    DIPLOMA.  311 

The  certificate  or  diploma  delivered  on  these  occasions  is 
upon  parchment,  in  the  style  of  the  college  diploma  ;  but  the 
form  is  in  English,  as  follows :  — 

"  A.  B.  has  completed  the  prescribed  course  of  study  at 
the  Mount  Holyoke  Feniale  Seminary,  and  by  her  attain- 
ments and  correct  deportment  is  entitled  to  this  testimonial. 
"  Given  at  South  Hadley,  &c. 

"  Mary  Lyon,  Principal. 
" ,  Secretary/.'''' 

At  the  top  of  the  parchment  is  an  elegant  vignette,  repre- 
senting a  palace,  in  front  of  which,  on  the  right,  a  quarry  is 
represented,  with  blocks  of  stone  in  various  stages  of  prepa- 
ration for  architectural  purposes.  On  the  left  are  several 
ladies,  intended  to  represent  teachers  and  pupils ;  and  be- 
neath the  whole  is  written,  "  That  our  daughters  may  be  as 
corner  stones,  polished  after  the  similitude  of  a  palace."  — 
Ps.  cxliv.  14.  The  seal  of  the  institution,  bearing  a  some- 
what similar  representation,  is  attached  by  a  ribbon  to  the 
parchment. 

This  instrument  is  a  very  neat  one,  and  the  whole  appro- 
priate, save  that  the  engraver  took  the  liberty  to  alter  the 
palace  so  as  to  make  it  qyite  Oriental,  by  adding  domes  and 
minarets  to  the  towers,  quite  in  the  Turkish  style.  The 
only  palace  that  I  know  of  in  Western  Europe  which  is  thus 
surmounted  is  the  anomalous  pavilion  erected  at  Brighton,  in 
England,  by  George  the  Fourth. 


312  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 


SECTION     II. 

The  History  of  the  Seminary  and  of  Miss  Lyon  from  the 
Anniversary,  in  1838,  to  the  Time  of  her  Death,  in  1849. 

Perhaps  a  part  of  the  title  of  this  section  might  properly 
have  been  omitted,  for  the  history  of  the  seminary  is  essen- 
tially that  of  Miss  Lyon.  Not,  indeed,  that  she  neglected 
her  duty  to  others  and  to  other  objects.  Abundant  proof  has 
been  furnished,  in  the  previous  pages  of  this  memoir,  that 
she  was  always  alive  to  every  call  of  duty,  from  whatever 
quarter  it  came.  But  in  fact,  nearly  all  her  duties  lay  within 
the  sphere  of  the  seminary.  Constituting  but  one  great 
family,  its  relations,  literary,  religious,  and  benevolent,  really 
reached  the  whole  family  of  man.  It  was  those  relations 
that  made  her  intense  devotion  to  its  interests  pure  and  ex- 
pansive benevolence,  instead  of  selfishness.  When  we  find 
a  person  urging  with  great  exclusiveness  the  claims  of  a 
literary  institution  started  to  promote  the  interest  of  a  sect, 
or  party,  or  town,  or  of  individuals,  we  rightly  call  it  selfish- 
ness, and  know  that  his  zeal  may  nourish  some  of  the  worst 
feelings  of  the  human  heart,  viz.,  pride,  party  spirit,  secta- 
rian exclusiveness,  avarice,  and  ambition.  But  when,  as  in 
this  case,  the  very  constitution  of  the  seminary  excludes  all 
pecuniary  benefit  to  individuals,  or  to  place,  and  makes  its 
grand  object  to  be  the  good  of  the  world,  intense  devoted- 
ness  to  its  interests  becomes  only  a  school  for  the  cultivation 
of  benevolence,  and  almost  every  other  virtue. 

So  carefully  and  judiciously  were  all  the  arrangements 
made  in  starting  the  new  seminary,  that  although  several  of 
its  characteristics  had  never  before  been  put  to  the  test  of 
experiment,  very  little  change  became  necessary  after  the 
trial  of  the  first  year.     Hence,  although  minor  improvements 


NUMBEK    OF    TEACHERS   AND   PUPILS.  313 

were  subsequently  introduced,  with  slight  modifications  of 
some  rules,  yet  the  history  of  its  operation  for  the  first  year 
tells  its  story  for  the  subsequent  years.  Hence  the  materials 
for  this  section  of  the  memoir  are  not  very  abundant. 

Let  it  not  be  thcjught,  however,  that  during  any  part  of 
these  eleven  years  Miss  Lyon  was  resting  upon  her  oars. 
Such  were  her  habits,  that  this  would  have  been  next  to 
impossible,  so  long  as  she  had  strength  to  ply  them.  Her 
letters,  indeed,  speak  not  unfrequently  of  her  going  abroad 
to  the  residences  of  certain  friends,  in  order  to  rest.  But 
even  at  such  times,  she  usually  accomplished  about  twice  as 
much  as  ordinary  women,  in  the  way  of  writing  or  consulting 
about  plans  for  the  seminary.  True,  the  affairs  of  the  school 
moved  on  noiselessly  and  harmoniously.  But  she  was  care- 
ful to  watch  the  movements  of  every  wheel,  and  to  learn  the 
force  of  every  spring  and  weight.  Especially  did  she  stand 
by  the  new  machinery,  and  not  unfrequently  was  she  obliged 
to  draw  largely  upon  her  resources  to  supply  the  requisite 
propelling  force.  These  eleven  years,  therefore,  were  among 
the  most  busy  periods  of  her  life.  For  a  considerable  part 
of  that  time,  the  pecuniary  means  of  the  institution  were  not 
equal  to  the  demands  upon  its  treasury ;  and  she  felt  herself 
called  on  to  watch  this  part  of  the  enterprise  with  as  careful 
an  eye  as  any  other.  To  the  domestic  department,  also, 
she  gave  special  attention,  and  probably  expended  more 
mental  labor  and  anxiety  upon  it,  in  order  to  arrange  and 
simplify  the  system,  than  upon  any  other  branch  of  the 
seminary. 

Teachers  and  Pupils. 

The  following  figures  exhibit  the  number  of  teachers  and 
pupils  in  the  seminary  from  its  commencement  to  the  present 
time.  The  summation  at  the  bottom,  however,  does  not  ex- 
hibit the  number  of  diflferent  teachers  and  pupils,  because 
many  of  them  continued  through  several  years. 
27 


314 


THE    VICTORY    GAINED    AND    SECUKED. 


Teachers. 

Pupils. 

1837-38, 

.         .     4 

\m 

1838-39,    . 

5     . 

.      103 

1839-40, 

.     6        .         . 

119 

1840-41,    . 

5    .        * 

.      113 

1841-42, 

.     9        .         . 

172 

1842-43,    . 

.       14    . 

.      183 

1843-44, 

.13 

205 

1844-45,    . 

.       19     . 

.      255 

1845-46, 

.17 

182 

1846-47,    . 

.       15     .         . 

.      188 

1847-48, 

.14 

235 

1848-49,    . 

.       14     . 

.      229 

1849-50, 

.16 

224 

1850-51,    . 

.       13    . 

.      244 

Total, 


164 


2568 


We  have  seen  that,  at  first,  Miss  Caldwell  was  associate 
principal  with  Miss  Lyon.  But  the  former  continued  only 
one  year,  and  was,  in  the  ensuing  vacation,  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Rev.  John  P.  Cowles.  Till  1842,  Miss  Lyon  was 
sole  principal.  But  that  year.  Miss  Mary  C.  Whitman  and 
Miss  Abigail  Moore  were  connected  with  her  as  associate 
principals.  This  arrangement  continued  till  1846,  when 
Miss  Moore  married  Rev.  Ebenezer  Burgess,  missionary  at 
Ahmednugger,  in  India,  and  accompanied  him  thither,  leav- 
ing Miss  Whitman  as  associate  principal.  She  continued  in 
that  place  till  1848,  when  her  health  became  so  poor  that  she 
was  obliged  to  leave  for  several  months.  During  her 
absence,  Miss  Lyon  died,  and  she  returned  and  stood  at  the 
head  of  the  seminaiy  until,  in  1849,  she  was  chosen  to  suc- 
ceed Miss  Lyon  as  permanent  principal.  But  her  health 
gav«  way  in  a  few  months,  and  she  has  been  compelled  to 


CHANGES    IN    THE    INSTRUCTORS.  315 

leave  the  institution,  probably  not  to  return.  As  senior  in- 
structor when  Miss  Whitman  left,  the  charge  of  the  seminary 
devolved  upon  Miss  Mary  W.  Chapin,  who  has  ever  since 
acted  as  its  principal.  Two  of  her  associate  teachers,  who 
had  been  long  connected  with  the  institution,  have  also  been 
removed  since  Miss  Lyon's  decease,  namely.  Miss  Curtis  by 
death,  and  Miss  Hazen  as  a  missionary  to  Persia. 

It  was  regarded  as  a  kind  Providence  that  brought  to  Miss 
Lyon's  help  two  associates  so  well  qualified  to  have  charge 
of  the  seminary  even  alone,  as  were  Miss  Moore  and  Miss 
Whitman.  They  undoubtedly  contributed  very  much  to  the 
prosperity  and  success  of  the  school  ;  and  so  long  as  they 
remained,  the  trustees  did  not  fear  that  the  school  would 
suffer  essentially,  even  though  Miss  Lyon  should  be  called 
away.  It  had  often  been  said,  that  it  must  fail  so  soon  as' 
she  should  die ;  when  Misses  Moore  and  Whitman  also  were 
called  away,  its  most  steadfast  friends  began  to  share  this 
apprehension.  But  the  care  of  the  seminary  has  passed  into 
other  hands,  and  yet  never  was  it  in  a  more  prosperous  state 
than  now.  These  facts  show,  first,  that  the  principles  of  per- 
manency lie  in  the  system  itself,  and  do  not  depend  upon  the 
lives  of  individuals.  Secondly,  they  show  how  admirably 
every  thing  in  the  operation  of  the  plan  had  been  arranged 
by  Miss  Lyon.  She  had  had  ample  time  to  overcome  the 
friction  of  the  new  machinery,  to  add  new  wheels  and  springs 
where  they  were  wanted,  and  to  strengthen  and"  arrange 
every  part  for  exigencies.  Thirdly,  we  hence  learn  how 
well  Miss  Lyon  knew  how  to  train  up  young  ladies  to  enter 
at  once  upon  the  most  difficult  trusts  as  teachers  ;  for  all 
those  who  have  successively  been  called  to  take  the  high 
responsibility  of  directing  the  affairs  of  the  seminary  have 
been  connected  with  it  almost  from  the  beginning ;  and 
-should  Providence  see  fit  to  make  even  further  inroads  upon 
those  who  stand  first  on  the  list  of  teachers,  the  trustees 
have  learned  that  they  have  little  to  fear.     Indeed,  in  the  last 


3 16  THE   VICTORY   GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

instruction  which  Miss  Lyon  gave  on  earth,  she  taught  them 
never  to  fear  any  thing  which  God  does. 

The  whole  number  of  teachers  that  have  been  connected 
with  this  institution  to  the  present  year,  or  during  its  first 
fourteen  years,  has  been  fifty-five.  Their  names  are  as  fol- 
lows, in  the  order  of  seniority  :  Mary  Lyon,  Eunice  Caldwell, 
Mary  W.  Smith,  Amanda  A.  Hodgman,  Abigail  Moore,  Sa- 
rah Brigham,  Persis  C.  Woods,  Mary  C.  Whitman,  Sarah  H. 
Torrey,  Susan  Reed,  Helen  Humphrey,  Lucy  T.  Lyon, 
Roxana  R.  Parsons,  Sophia  D.  Hazen,  Fidelia  Fiske,  Mary 
M.  Stevens,  Ann  R.  Mowry,  Catharine  A,  Wright,  Martha  R. 
Chapin,  Susan  F.  Hawks,  Mary  W,  Chapin,  Ann  R.  Webster, 
Hannah  O.  Bailey,  Margaret  Mann,  Lucy  M.  Curtis,  Mary 
H.  Humphrey,- Marie  F.  Browne,  Catharine  A.  Porter,  Nancy 

A.  Foote,  Mary  E.  Graves,  Persis  G.  Thurston,  Ann  Maria 
Hollister,  Susan  L.  Tolman,  Martha  C.  Scott,  Rebecca  W. 
Fiske,  Mary  E.  Barker,  Mary  B.  Metcalf,  Emily  Jessup, 
Harriet  Johnson,  Aurelia  P.  Wellman,  Helen  Peabody,  Han- 
nah C.  Scott,  Mary  A.  Munson,  Mary  E.  Yale,  Lucy  M. 
Ainsworth,  Caroline  H.  Merrick,  Maria  E.  Mason,  Hannah 
G.  Gilman,  Emily  W.  S.  Bowdoin,  Mary  L.  Brown,  Lydia  G. 

B.  Rogers,  Martha  L.  Newcomb,  Elizabeth  Titcomb,  Mary 
Titcomb,  and  Mary  J.  Murdock. 

The  whole  number  of  pupils  on  the  catalogues,  as  given 
above,  amounts  to  two  thousand  five  hundred  and  sixty-eight ; 
of  coursd,  the  same  names  are  here  sometimes  repeated. 
The  actual  number  of  different  ladies,  who  have  received 
instruction  here,  is  between  seventeen  and  eighteen  hundred  ; 
of  these,  four  hundred  and  fifteen  (including  the  class  of 
1851)  have  finished  the  course  of  study,  and  received  diplo- 
mas. The  pupils  have  come  from  the  following  states  and 
countries  :  — 

Massachusetts,  Connecticut, 

New  York,  New  Hampshire, 


TRUSTEES.  317 

Vermont,  Iowa, 

Rhode   Island,  Kentucky, 

Maine,  Alabama, 

New  Jersey,  Georgia, 

Pennsylvania,  Virginia, 

Ohio,  „  District  of  Columbia, 

Illinois,  Cherokee  Nation, 

Michigan,  Canada, 

Missouri,  Turkey, 

Mississippi,  Sandwich  Islands. 

Wisconsin, 

Trustees. 

The  names  of  the  trustees  at  the  commencement  of  the 
seminary,  in  1837,  have  been  already  given.  In  1838,  Hon. 
Samuel  Williston  was  added.  In  1843,  Hon.  David  Choate 
resigned,  as  did  Dr.  Humphrey  in  1845.  In  1847,  Mr. 
Condit  died,  and  Rev.  E.  Y.  Swift  was  chosen  a  trustee,  as 
was  Rev.  Samuel  Harris  in  1848. 

The  Domestic  Department. 

We  have  seen  how  the  peculiar  feature  of  the  school, 
which  leaves  the  domestic  labor  in  the  hands  of  the  pupils, 
operated  during  the  first  year.  But  success  for  so  short  a 
time  scarcely  lessened  the  scepticism  of  those  opposed  to  it. 
"  How  long  must  it  be  tried,"  said  I,  to  a  judicious  friend,  who 
thought  it  must  fail,  "  how  long  must  it  be  tried  to  satisfy 
you  ?  "  "  Five  years,"  he  replied  ;  and  although,  when  the 
five  years  had  ended,  the  success  was  still  complete,  he  was 
no  more  satisfied  than  at  first ;  nor  even  when  almost  twice 
that  period  had  elapsed  ;  for  in  such  a  case  we  may  apply 
the  sentiment  of  the  satirist, — 

"  A  man  convinced  against  his  will 
Is  of  the  same  opinion  still." 
27* 


318  THE    VICTORY   GAINED    AND    SECTTRED. 

Very  few  besides  Miss  Lyon  had  strong  confidence  that 
this  plan  would  be  successful  or  desirable.  And,  therefore, 
the  trustees  took  care  not  to  make  the  fate  of  the  school  de- 
pend upon  it.  Even  now  it  might  be  given  up  without  essen- 
tially interfering  with  the  prosperity  of  the  school.  Yet  it 
has  certainly  had  extraordinary  and  uninterrupted  success  for 
nearly  fourteen  years,  and  is  doubtless  regarded  with  great 
interest  by  a  large  part  of  the  religious  community.  Those 
who  have  had  the  oversight  of  the  plan,  and  have  seen  most 
of  its  operation,  would  consider  it  a  great  calamity  to  be 
obliged  to  give  it  up,  and  resort  to  hired  help  in  the  family. 
They  are  confident  that  this  great  family  have  got  along 
much  more  pleasantly  than  by  the  only  other  plan  which 
could  have  been  adopted  ;  to  say  nothing  of  the  reduction  of 
expense  which  has  been  thereby  effected,  and  which  is  a 
feature  of  great  importance  in  its  bearing  upon  the  mis- 
sionary, as  well  as  eleemosynary  character  of  the  institution. 

The  entire  success  of  this  experiment,  for  so  many  years, 
is  a  striking  testimony  to  the  sagacity  and  remarkable  exec- 
utive power  of  Miss  Lyon.  No  one  was  ever  more  ready  to 
distrust  her  own  judgment  than  she,  when  judicious  advisers 
opposed  it.  Yet  here  she  had  to  go  forward  in  opposition  to 
the  decided  opinion  of  those  whose  judgment  in  almost  every 
thing  else  was  law.  Nay,  the  scheme  was  met  with  ridicule 
by  wise  and  good  men.  She  went  with  one  of  the  agents  to 
solicit  aid  from  a  wealthy  and  benevolent  individual,  from 
whom  she  had  hoped  much.  She  remained  at  the  public 
house  while  the  agent  broached  the  subject,  expecting  at 
least  to  be  invited  to  call  upon  the  family.  But  when  the 
subject  was  fairly  before  the  gentleman,  he  turned  to  his 
daughters,  and  asked  them  how  they  should  like  to  attend  a 
school  where  they  must  work  in  the  kitchen ;  and  then 
merely  inquired  where  Miss  Lyon  was,  and  sent  his  respects 
to  her  ;  but  she  was  not  invited  to  call.  When  the  agent 
gave  her  an  account  of  the  interview,  she  buried  her  face  in 


PREDICTIONS    OF    FAILURE.  319 

,  her  hands,  and  bowed  down  her  head  upon  the  table  for  a 
few  moments,  and  then  appeared  as  cheerful  as  ever,  and  felt 
confident  that  all  was  for  the  best. 

1  give  this  example  as  an  index  of  the  general  state  of 
feeling  regarding  this  subject,  among  the  most  respectable 
class  of  citizens,  when  the  effort  was  made  to  obtain  funds. 
But  Miss  Lyon  knew  that  with  four  fifths  of  the  yeomanry 
of  New  England,  a  very  different  state  of  feeling  existed. 
She  turned,  therefore,  to  them,  and  found  that  sympathy 
which  had  been  denied  her  in  higher  circles.  Indeed,  with- 
out this  feature  of  the  school,  it  is  the  opinion  of  the  principal 
agent  in  obtaining  funds,  that  he  could  not  have  succeeded. 

When  this  plan  was  first  put  into  operation,  and  seemed  to 
answer  well,  those  opposed  to  it  predicted,  that  when  the 
novelty  of  the  scheme  had  passed  by,  it  would  become  un- 
popular, and  must  be  abandoned.  But  when  they  found  that 
five,  and  even  ten,  years'  experience  seemed  only  to  give 
greater  perfection  to  its  operation,  —  when,  on  visiting  the 
seminary  from  time  to  time,  they  saw  how  admirably  the 
domestic  affairs  were  managed,  and  how  well  cooked  and 
palatable  was  the  food,  —  then  they  predicted  that,  as  soon  as 
Miss  Lyon  should  be  removed,  this  peculiarity  must  be  given 
up.  Yet  more  than  two  years  have  now  elapsed  since  that 
event,  and  never  were  the  domestic  arrangements  managed 
more  satisfactorily  than  now.  I  know  not  what  other  period 
of  time  will  be  fixed  on  as  the  fatal  moment  when  this  system 
must  fall,  unless  it  be  the  close  of  the  present  century.  In 
that  case,  unbelievers  will,  at  least,  be  saved  the  mortification 
of  acknowledging  that  Miss  Lyon's  judgment  in  this  matter 
was  better  than  theirs. 

Anniversary  Addresses. 

The  following  list  shows  what  gentlemen  have  given  me 
Anniversary  Addresses,  and  on  what  subjects,  when  they 
were  published  :  — 


320  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

1838.  Rev.  Joel  Hawes,  D.  D. 

1839.  Rev.  Rufus  Anderson,  D.  D.     Education  of  the 

Female  Sex. 

1840.  Rev.  Mark  Hopkins,  D.  D.     Female  Education. 

1841.  Rev.  B.  B.  Edwards,  D.  D.  do. 

1842.  Rev.  E.  Hitchcock.     Waste  of  Mind. 

1843.  Rev.  Lyman  Beecher,  D.  D. 

1844.  Rev.  E.  N.  Kirk.     The  Greatness  of  the  Human 

Soul. 

1845.  Rev  Joel  Hawes,  D.  D.    Looking-glass  for  Ladies. 

1846.  Rev.    J.    B.   Condit,   D.  D.     Christian   Love   the 

Essential  Element  of  Moral  Power. 

1847.  Rev.  Heman  Humphrey,  D.  D. 

1848.  Rev.  Edward  Beecher,  D.  D. 

1849.  Rev.  E.  Hitchcock.     A  Chapter  in  the  Book  of 

Providence. 

1850.  Rev.  William  C.  Fowler.     Taste. 

Religious  History  of  the  Seminary. 

We  have  seen  that  the  religious  character  of  the  schools 
with  which  Miss  Lyon  had  been  connected,  before  coming  to 
South  Hadley,  was  the  trait  that  had  endeared  them  most  to 
religious  men.  They  looked,  therefore,  with  deep  interest 
to  the  Holyoke  Seminary,  to  learn  whether  a  high  tone  of 
piety  would  be  there  also  associated  with  a  high  literary 
standard.  So  commonly  had  they  been  disjoined,  that  it  had 
come  to  be  a  question  whether  their  union  were  practicable. 
During  the  first  year,  amid  the  distractions  and  exciting  nov- 
elties incident  to  starting  a  new  and  complex  system  of  edu- 
cation, there  was  scarcely  room  for  that  calm  reflection,  and 
that  deep  and  thorough  self-examination  which  are  essential 
to  genuine  revivals  of  religion.  Moreover,  the  number  of 
pupils  destitute  of  the  Christian's  hope  the  first  year  was 
very  small,  not  more  than  one  in  ten  or  twelve.  But  in 
every  subsequent  year  to  the  present,  (1851,)  there  has  been 


REVIVALS.  321 

■witnessed  in  the  school  long-continued  seasons  of  special 
interest  in  personal  religion.  Most  of  these  works  of  divine 
grace  had  a  thoroughness  and  extent  almost  unheard  of  in  the 
nnodern  history  of  the  church.  But  1  am  fortunate  in  being 
able  to  present  here  a  brief  summary  of  these  revivals  for 
the  first  nine  years  of  the  institution,  from  the  pen  of  Miss 
Mary  C.  Whitman,  who  was  connected  with  it  almost  from 
its  commencement ;  first  as  a  pupil,  then  as  a  teacher,  an 
associate  principal,  and  finally  as  principal  ;  and  whose 
whole  soul  was  as  intensely  devoted  to  the:  school  as  that  of 
its  founder ;  so  much  devoted,  indeed,  that  nature  gave  way 
under  labors  too  severe  and  unremitted.  Miss  Whitman's  let- 
ter on  this  subject,  written  at  my  request,  was  dated  in  1846. 
"  The  school  has  been  in  operation  nine  years,  and  each 
year,  smce  its  commencement,  there  has  been  some  decided 
religious  interest,  unless  we  except  the  first  ;  several  times 
amounting  to  a  deep  and  extensive  work  of  grace.  Among 
the  pupils  of  the  first  year,  there  were  but  ten  or  twelve  who 
were  not  hopefully  pious ;  and  although  there  was  a  general 
consistency  of  character  and  deportment,  and  great  zeal  in 
building  up  the  new  institution,  there  was  no  marked  religious 
interest,  and  Christians  seemed  to  be  in  a  state  of  spiritual 
stupidity  and  worldliness.  During  the  second  year,  God 
seemed  to  manifest  his  acceptance  of  the  consecration  to 
himself,  which  had  been  made  of  the  institution,  not  by  a 
visible  cloud,  but  by  a  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Every 
member  of  the  school  appeared  to  be  deeply  affected,  and  all 
but  one  or  two  indulged  the  Christian  hope.  This  revival 
seemed  to  give  that  religious  character  to  the  school  which 
its  founders  desired.  The  work  was  very  rapid  and  with 
great  power,  and  occurred  in  connection  with  the  fast  for 
literary  institutions.  Its  effects  were  felt  for  several  succes- 
sive years.  This  was  especially  the  case  the  third,  which 
was  the  following  year.  This  year  all  indulged  the  Christian 
Jiope.     The  work  was  gradual,  and  there  was  a  progressive 


322  THE    VICTORY   GAINED    AND    SECURED. 

continued  interest  from  the  first  week  of  the  school  till  the 
close  of  the  year.  The  presence  of  the  Spirit  was  manifested 
from  the  first,  by  attention  to  instruction,  the  tearful  eye,  and 
exhibition  of  tenderness  of  feeling  whenever  the  subject  of 
personal  religion  was  introduced.  The  number  of  cases  of 
hopeful  conversion  this  year  was  nearly  the  same  as  the 
preceding,  or  about  thirty.  The  fourth  year  the  religious 
interest  still  continued,  somewhat  diminished  in  its  power, 
yet  manifest  through  the  year.  Christians  were  not  so  gen- 
erally and  deeply  affected  as  at  some  former  times,  yet  there 
was  an  interesting  growth  and  maturing  of  Christian  charac- 
ter; six  or  eight  only  remained,  at  the  close  of  the  year, 
without  hope.  The  fifth  year  our  building  was  enlarged, 
and  our  numbers  greatly  increased.  There  were  in  many 
cases  a  decided  and  interesting  development,  and  settling  of 
religious  principle,  and  also  several  cases  of  hopeful  conver- 
sion of  an  unusually  marked  character.  The  number  ex- 
pressing hope  was  perhaps  about  seventeen,  being  nearly 
half  who  entered  without  hope. 

"  The  following  year,  the  sixth,  was  one  rich  in  blessing. 
A  more  careful  division  of  responsibility  and  labor  among 
the  teachers  was  made,  and  from  the  commencement  of  the 
year  there  was  an  increased  personal  effort  in  relation  to 
every  member  of  the  family.  God  crowned  these  efforts 
with  abundant  success.  From  the  first  there  was  an  atten- 
tive listening  to  instruction,  and  truth  seemed  to  be  taking'  a 
deep  hold  of  the  understanding  and  conscience.  But  it  was 
not  till  March  that  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  came  upon  us  with 
great  power,  and  at  once  a  large  number  stood  up  on  the 
Lord's  side,  having  received  the  breath  of  life.  The  work 
was  sudden,  rapid,  and  powerful.  We  could  only  stand  still 
and  see  the  salvation  of  God  in  our  midst.  Some  cases  of 
conversion  were  of  a  very  marked  character,  and  of  great 
interest.  Of  the  sixty-six  who  entered  the  school  without 
hope,  only  six  remained  destitute   of  it.     The  missionary 


REVIVALS.  323 

interest  this  year  received  a  new  impulse  by  the  departure 
of  Miss  Fisk,  one  of  our  teachers,  on  a  foreign  mission, 
and  there  was  an  increase  in  the  missionary  contributions. 
During  the  seventh  year,  there  were  about  thirty  cases  of 
hopeful  conversion,  but  no  powerful  and  general  work. 

"  The  last  year,  the  eighth,  there  were  very  few  cases  of 
hopeful  conversion,  and  very  many  passed  through  the  whole 
year  apparently  without  receiving  any  religious  impression. 
The  present  year  has  thus  far  been  one  of  greater  blessing. 
Very  soon  after  its  commencement,  there  appeared  cases  of 
marked  interest,  and  generally  an  unusual  tenderness  on  the 
subject  of  religion.  Through  the  whole  of  the  first  term, 
there  was  a  gathering  of  interest,  which,  towards  its  close, 
appeared  to  promise  a  return  of  the  scenes  of  former  years. 
The  vacation  dispersed  our  family,  and  since  the  commence- 
ment of  the  present  ienn,  the  state  of  feeling  has  not  reached 
the  point  which  seemed  to  be  gained  before  vacation.  During 
the  last  term,  there  were  about  twenty  cases  of  hopeful  con- 
version, and  a  number  have  occurred  the  present  term.  In 
all  cases  where  there  was  any  depth  of  interest  the  last  term, 
it  has  continued  till  the  present  time,  and  some  have  re- 
sulted in  hope.  The  indications  of  a  gradual  and  protracted 
work  of  grace  are  perhaps  now  more  encouraging  than  at 
any  previous  time  this  term." 

Nearly  five  years  have  now  elapsed  since  the  above 
account  was  written,  and  yet  all  of  them  have  left  a  similar 
testimony  to  ihe  special  converting  influences  of  the  Spirit  of 
God  in  the  institution.  I  cannot  state  the  number  apparently 
converted,  save  that  in  1850  between  forty  ana  fifty  were 
thus  blessed.  This  work  occurred,  it  will  be  perceived,  since 
the  death  of  Miss  Lyon.  Even  the  few  months  of  1851, 
which  have  passed  before  this  sentence  was  written,  tell  the 
same  story,  so  joyful  to  the  Christian's  heart.  It  shows  us 
that  Miss  Lyon's  presence  and  prayers  are  not  necessary  to 
secure  the  agency  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  some   have   im- 


324  THE    VICTOEY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

agined.  Yet  so  far  as  means  are  concerned,  doubtless  the 
system  which  she  adopted,  and  the  example  of  fidelity  which 
she  has  left,  have  still  a  most  important  influence.  May  we 
not  hope  that  that  influence  will  be  identified  with  the  insti- 
tution as  long  as  it  stands  ? 

Some  would  imagine,  from  this  account,  that,  to  secure 
such  an  almost  uninterrupted  series  of  spiritual  blessings, 
extraordinary  and  peculiar  means  must  have  been  employed. 
But  nothing  of  this  kind  has  ever  been  done.  A  person 
might  live  for  weeks  in  the  seminary,  during  one  of  these 
revivals,  and  yet  see  nothing  unusual,  save  a  deep  solemnity 
and  tenderness  during  religious  exercises.  Those  exercises 
would  not  be  much  multiplied,  nor  would  the  literary  exer- 
cises be  suspended  or  diminished,  unless  in  individual  cases 
of  deep  seriousness.  Both  teachers  and  pupils  would  seem 
to  be  deeply  engrossed  in  their  studies,  and  would  be,  in  fact, 
during  the  hours  appropriated  to  study.  Nor  would  the  sub- 
ject of  religion  be  obtruded  upon  the  visitor,  or  introduced, 
unless  he  manifested  an  unusual  interest  in  the  state  of  the 
school  ;  and  then  would  he  find,  what  he  hardly  suspected 
before,  that  in  the  hearts  of  those  teachers  and  pious  pupils 
there  was  a  deep  fountain  of  religious  feeling,  that  was  ready 
to  gush  forth  and  overflow  if  the  channel  was  once  opened. 
He  would  learn  that  in  their  closets  and  private  fidelity  to 
their  pupils  and  companions  lay  the  secret  of  such  an  almost 
constant  divine  influence. 

It  is  well  known  to  the  Christian  familiar  with  revivals  in 
our  churchfis,  that  such  a  work  is  not  to  be  expected  without 
a  previous  season  of  deep  humiliation,  anxiety,  and  prayer, 
on  the  part  of  ministers  and  private  Christians.  But  so  often 
had  I  witnessed  the  absence  of  all  outward  signs  of  any 
special  religious  interest,  when  I  knew  that  there  were  many 
anxious  inquirers  in  this  seminary  ;  so  calm  and  cheerful 
did  the  principal  and  her  band  of  teachers  appear ;  and  so 
much  interested  in  literary  and  secular  objects, —  that  I  began 


PRAYERS  OF  CHRISTIANS  SOUGHT.  325 

to  doubt  whether  here  might  not  be  an  exception  to  this 
ahnost  universal  experience  of  the  church.  But  in  looking 
over  Miss  Lyon's  correspondence  since  her  decease,  I  find 
that  the  suggestion  is  entirely  unfounded.  Not  a  revival  has 
ever  occurred  in  this  seminary,  nay,  I  doubt  whether  a  sin- 
gle conversion  has  taken  place  there,  which  was  not  preced- 
ed by  deep  humiliation  and  agonizing  prayer  on  the  part  of 
teachers  or  pious  pupils.  I  think  that  the  letters  already 
given  in  Parts  I.  and  II.  of  the  memoir  will  show  this  in 
respect  to  the  other  schools  in  which  Miss  Lyon  was  en- 
gaged. And  I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  present  several  others 
in  this  place,  which  disclose  the  state  of  her  feelings  previous 
to  and  during  some  of  the  revivals  in  her  seminary. 

The  readers  of  this  memoir  ought  to  understand  that  prob- 
ably Miss  Lyon  never  had  the  thought  pass  through  her 
mind  that  one  of  the  letters  given  in  this  work  would  ever 
be  published.  They  are  obviously  the  honest,  unsophis- 
ticated outpourings  of  her  heart,  for  the  most  part  into  the 
hearts  of  personal  friends,  and  give  us  the  true  and  exact 
state  of  her  own  feelings  and  views.  They  are  not  all  con- 
formed exactly  to  the  strict  rules  of  rhetoric,  but  I  have  not 
dared  to  alter  them  much,  lest  I  should  weaken  their  force. 

One  of  the  most  frequent  modes  in  which  Miss  Lyon 
manifested  a  deeper  interest  than  usual  —  such  an  interest 
as  Christians  very  well  know  usually  precedes  a  revival  — 
in  the  religious  state  of  the  school,  is  a  confession  of  spir- 
itual stupidity,  and  a  request  to  Christian  friends  that  they 
would  offer  special  prayers  in  behalf  of  the  school  or  of  in- 
dividuals. She  was  no  believer  in  the  frigid  doctrine  which 
self-styled  philosophy  would  impose  upon  us,  that  prayer  is 
of  no  use  to  move  God,  but  only  to  move  ourselves.  She 
believed  that  God  would  be  influenced  as  really  by  the  prayer 
of  faith  as  any  earthly  friend.  Hence  she  felt  that  by  mul- 
tiplying petitions  for  great  blessings,  an  answer  might  be 
more  surely  expected.  She  probably  had  but  few  friends  to 
•2« 


326  THE    VICTORY    GAINED    AND    SECURED. 

whom  she  appealed  for  such  aid.  But  they  were  individuals 
in  whose  ardent  piety  she  felt  the  fullest  confidence.  One  of 
them  was  her  mother,  as  we  have  seen  at  an  earlier  date. 

The  following  are  extracts  from  two  letters  to  Mrs.  Bedor- 
tha,  niece  of  Miss  Lyon  and  sister  of  Mrs.  Burgess  in  India. 
One  of  the  letters  is  a  reply  to  an  invitation  to  her  house, 
intimating  that  if  her  health  should  require  her  to  leave  the 
seminary,  she  would  feel  it  a  privilege  to  furnish  her  with 
a  home. 

"  South  Hadlet,  December  9,  1846. 

"  My  dear  Niece  : 

"  I  write  so  seldom,  except  on  business,  that  I  need  some 
inducement  to  do  it.  Still,  I  should  be  gratified  to  write  to 
my  friends  often,  and  far  more  gratified  to  hear  from  them 
more  frequently.  I  received  your  kind  note  in  L.'s  letter, 
for  which  I  am  very  much  obliged.  Nowhere  except  at  my 
own  dear  home  should  I  expect  to  find  a  more  quiet  resting- 
place  than  by  accepting  your  hospitality.  I  should  love  to 
be  with  you  a  while,  and  should  love  to  become  acquainted 
with  your  dear  little  one,  even  at  this  age.  Precious  treas- 
ure !  may  it  be  a  treasure  for  heaven. 

"  My  health  is  much  better.  The  thought  of  visiting  you, 
which  flitted  across  my  imagination,  I  think  I  shall  not  indulge 
this  cold,  cold  winter.  1  shall  no  doubt  find  it  best  to  be  a 
keeper  at  home. 

"I  want  to  ask  you  to  remember  our  school  in  your 
prayers,  particularly  at  this  time.  It  is  the  season  of  the  year 
when  there  are  more  external  circumstances  favorable  for 
giving  a  special  attention  to  religion  than  at  any  other  time. 
I  have  not  been  able  for  several  weeks  to  attend  meetings  or 
give  religious  instruction.  Miss  W.  has  had  some  aid  from 
Mr.  C.  and  Mr.  H.  There  are  some  favorable  indications, 
but  no  decided  interest.  We  feel  it  to  be  an  important  time. 
We  have  a  larger  number  impenitent  this  year  than  ever 
before,  and  a  much  larger  number  among  the  senior  class. 


NUMBER    OF   CONVERTS.  327 

As  Providence  has  seemed  to  confine  your  field  of  labor  to 
a  smaller  circle  this  winter  than  sometimes  before,  perhaps 
you  would  like  to  unite  in  spirit  with  us,  and  adopt  our  work 
as  your  work,  and  labor  with  us,  and  pray  with  us  in  heart. 
May  it  not  be  that  God  will  bless  you  in  this  work,  and  give 
you,  even  among  us,  some  souls  as  your  crown  of  rejoicing 
in  another  world  ?  What  an  unspeakable  privilege  is  it  that 
we  may  go  in  the  name  of  Christ  and  ask  for  whatever  we 
need,  with  such  a  full  and  sure  promise  as  we  have  ! " 

This  letter  is  without  date,  but  postmarked  February  20. 

"  My  dear  Niece  : 

"  We  have  just  commenced  our  second  term.  The  last 
month  of  last  term  we  experienced  a  precious  reviving  sea- 
son. Not  far  from  fifty  expressed  the  Christian  hope.  I 
wanted  to  write  to  you,  and  ask  you  to  pray  for  us.  Not 
more  than  half  have  been  brought  into  the  kingdom.  The 
remainder,  who  are  without  hope,  have  no  special  interest 
generally.  There  are  some  exceptions.  Will  you  not  be- 
seech God  in  our  behalf  that  he  will  not  leave  us .''  To- 
morrow is  the  day  observed  by  many  Christians  as  a  day  of « 
fasting  and  prayer  for  literary  institutions.  This  day  is  ob- 
served by  us.  I  should  love  to  ask  you  and  other  friends  to 
pray  for  us.  But  it  is  pleasant  to  think  that  God  can  teach 
them  to  pray  for  us  and  others,  though  I  ask  them  not. 

"  Our  dear  Mr.  Condit  is  gone.  A  great  breach  his  death 
has  left  in  nriany  hearts,  especially  in  mine.  We  know  not 
how  his  place  will  be  filled,  but  our  waiting  eyes  are 
unto  God. 

"  My  last  letter  from  your  sister  in  India  enclosed  one  for 
your  mother.  I  hope  it  may  be  followed  with  God's  bless- 
ing, and  comfort  the  heart  of  your  mother.  I  think  your 
sister  has  been  in  a  very  desirable  state  of  mind  ever  since 
she  left  the  country." 


328  THE    VICTORY    GAINED    AND    SECURED. 


TO    HON.    DANIEL    SAFFORD. 

"  South  IIadley,  October  27,  1848. 
"  I  know  you  are  always  interested  in  our  welfare,  and 
especially  in  our  spiritual  progress.  In  many  respects  we 
are  blessed  and  prospered.  In  our  religious  prospects  I 
scarcely  know  what  to  say,  my  heart  is  so  divided  between 
hope  and  fear,  and  has  been  for  many  weeks.  For  a  long 
time,  I  have  hoped  that  there  was  a  silent  influence, 
which  would  finally  result  in  the  glory  of  God.  There  is 
but  little  which  can  be  seen  by  human  eyes,  or  talked  about 
by  human  tongues.  I  scarcely  dare  inquire,  lest  I  may  put 
forth  a  finger  to  disturb  the  gentle  onward  influence.  What, 
how  much,  or  how  little  God  is  now  doing  we  can  all  say  we 
know  not  now,  but  we  shall  know  hereafter.  I  hope  we  may 
then  know  that  it  is  more  than  we  now  can  speak  about. 
One  thing  is  sure  —  it  is  a  time  for  prayer.  I  know  you 
will  not  forget  us  at  the  throne  of  grace.  The  name  of  one 
and  another  is  brought  to  me  by  some  teacher,  from  time  to 
time,  as  one  who  was  venturing  to  indulge  some  hope  in  a 
Savior's  love.  But  I  have  made  no  attempt  to  designate. 
Where  they  will  finally  be  found  I  know  not.  Our  vacation 
is  very  near.  Its  disturbing  influence  I  very  much  fear. 
But  we  must  look  to  God.  In  him  alone  is  our  hope.  How 
peculiarly  true  it  is  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  gift  of  God  I 
The  manner  in  which  inquiries  are  made  sometimes  about 
God's  visits  of  mercy  to  this  institution  distresses  me,  lest  we 
should  look  for  this  spiritual  blessing  in  the  ordinary  course 
of  events.  Whenever  God  comes,  it  is  in  his  own  way, 
disappointing  all  human  expectations,  and  taking  glory  to 
himself  alone.  I  love  to  ponder  many  things  of  hope  and 
fear  in  my  heart  alone,  beholding  anew  our  own  weakness, 
our  own  exceeding  unwoHhiness,  and  trusting  with  new  con- 
fidence in  the  mighty  power  and  amazing  goodness 
of  God." 


MISS  lyon's  feelings  disclosed.  329 

How  does  the  following  letter  open  to  our  view  the  inmost 
heart  of  Miss  Lyon !  and  what  a  heart  it  is !  Need  we 
wonder  that  prayers  from  so  pure  and  holy  a  spirit  should 
secure  an  almost  constant  divine  influence  to  the  institution  ? 

TO    MRS.    PORTER. 

"South  Hadlet,  October  27,  1848. 
"  My  dear  Mrs.  Porter  : 

"  I  do  greatly  desire  to  commune  in  heart  with  you.  1 
want  especially  to  beg  an  interest  in  your  prayers.  May 
God  give  you  a  spirit  of  prayer  in  our  behalf.  My  heart  is 
trembling  with  hope  and  fear.  The  still  small  voice  of  the 
Spirit,  which  has  been  whispering  in  our  ears,  still  hovers 
over  us.  I  dare  not  say  much,  for  I  know  not  what  to  say. 
I  may  know  hereafter  what  God  is  now  doing,  though  I 
know  not  now.  I  fear  that  I  may  know  hereafter,  as  I  do 
not  now,  how  the  Spirit  is  grieved.  But  I  hope  that  I  may 
know  that  God  is  even  now  doing  a  greater  work  in  the 
secret  recesses  of  the  heart  than  is  visible  to  our  eyes. 
We  transferred  our  Thursday  evening  meeting  this  week  to 
Tuesday  evening,  (last  evening,)  and  brought  all  together. 
Mr.  Laurie  came  in  and  conducted  it.  He  has  not  met  us 
before.  I  trembled,  as  I  fear  every  change  at  this  time.  I 
had  felt  it  desirable  that  he  should  come  in  once  at  least  this 
term.  If  the  path  of  duty  was  plain,  I  did  endeavor  to  pray 
that  God  would  give  him  some  crums  of  bread  to  scatter 
to  the  hungry.  My  prayer  was  answered.  He  spoke  ex- 
temporaneously from  short  notes,  but  with  much  freedom, 
and  quite  to  the  point.  I  felt  this  as  a  special  favor  from 
the  hand  of  God.  I  think  he  spoke  to  our  school  only  once 
last  year,  and  then  he  did  not  seem  to  enjoy  it  much.  This 
will  explain  my  solicitude  and  my  gratitude  to  God  for  his 
goodness.  I  felt  before  and  after  the  same  as  I  do  in  my  own 
case.  None  but  God  knows  how  the  responsibility  of  giving 
religious  instruction  to  those  candidates  for  etenpity  weighs 
28* 


330  THE    VICTORY   GAINED    AND    SECURED. 

on  my  heart.  So/hetimes,  beforehand,  my  soul  is  weighed 
down  with  fear  and  trembling  and  anxious  soHcitude,  which 
finds  no  relief  but  in  God.  When  I  have  finished,  and  God 
has  given  me  some  enlargement  of  heart,  I  am  overwhelmed 
with  gratitude,  and  with  a  view  of  my  own  unworthiness  for 
such  a  blessing.  Then  I  can  only  pour  out  my  heart  in 
prayer  that  the  Spirit  may  carry  truth  to  the  heart,  though 
given  in  great  weakness.  Sometimes  the  spirit  within 
weighs  down  the  body,  and  sometimes  the  body  treads  the 
spirit  in  the  dust.  O  this  body  of  death  I  Thanks  to  God 
for  the  victory  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord !  You  will 
see  where,  and  when,  and  for  what  to  pray  in  my  behalf." 

TO    MRS.    SAFFORD. 

"South  Hadlet,  March  9,  1843 
"  My  DEAR  Mrs.  Safford  : 

"  As  I  have  a  little  business  on  which  I  must  write  this 
morning,  I  will  take  this  opportunity  to  say  a  few  things  on  the 
subject  so  near  my  heart.  On  my  return,  I  found  things  in 
some  respects  a  little  more  favorable  than  when  I  left.  The 
general  seriousness  has  increased  somewhat,  and  considera- 
bly in  one  small  section  under  the  care  of  one  teacher. 
The  teachers  have  had  some  increase  of  interest,  and  are 
making  some  new  efforts  in  their  sections.  Among  those 
vvho  have  most  of  a  heart  for  such  a  work  there  is  a 
growing  conviction  of  the  great  need  of  a  thorough,  power- 
ful revival,  to  break  up  the  fallow  ground,  to  give  a  new 
current  to  thought  and  feeling  among  the  younger  and  least 
experienced  Christians,  among  the  coldest,  most  lukewarm, 
and  most  backward  professors,  and  among  some  who  stand 
on  middle  ground.  Thursday  morning  is  one  of  the  three 
mornings  in  the  week  when  I  reserve  a  half  hour  for  reli- 
gious instruction  and  devotional  exercises.  I  have  just  met 
the  pupils  in  the  hall.  I  took  occasion  to  spread  out  before 
them  our  j||resent   position,  with  our  necessity,  our  danger, 


PRAYER    FOR   A    REVIVAL.  331 

our  fear,  and  our  hope,  mingling  all  along  my  own  feelings, 
my  own  solemn  convictions  of  the  urgency  of  the  case.  I 
stated  my  own  views,  that  something  must  be  done,  though 
entire  darkness  was  spread  over  the  path  of  duty.  I  told 
them  that  a  little  while  ago  I  came  to  them  to  ask  of  them  a 
missionary.  I  would  not  go  from  one  to  another,  lest  1 
should  not  find  the  best.  And  the  Lord  so  stirred  up  the 
willing  hearts  that  we  all  believed  that  we  had  sent  the  one 
whom  he  had  called  and  qualified  for  the  work.  And  now  I 
came  to  ask  for  a  willing  heart  to  unite  with  me  in  prayer 
for  this  great  thing,  as  this  seemed  our  last  refuge.  The 
scene  was  very  interesting  to  my  feelings.  How  I  should 
love  to  have  had  you  with  us,  to  mingle  in  our  sympathies 
and  prayers  !  There  was  a  very  tender  spirit  this  morning, 
an  atmosphere  in  which  it  was  very  easy  to  breathe  ancJ  to 
speak  too.  Probably  little  circumstances  might  have  some 
effect.  It  is  so  seldom  that  I  leave  this  beloved  household 
for  a  single  day,  that  my  meeting  them  after  an  absence  of 
only  a  week  and  a  half  is  suited  to  awaken  some  tender 
emotions  on  both  sides.  Such  things  are  the  veriest  trifles  in 
themselves ;  but  my  sentiment  is,  that  the  most  trifling  cir- 
cumstances should  be  used  for  the  same  great  end.  With 
regard  to  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  impenitent,  all  is  dark.  But 
amidst  the  darkness,  and  with  a  burden  on  my  heart  which 
I  cannot  describe,  there  is  something  in  my  soul  which  seems 
like  trust  in  God,  that  is  like  a  peaceful  river,  overflowing  all 
its  banks.  Light  can  shine  out  of  darkness,  and  I  have 
great  hope  that  we  shall  receive  a  blessing,  whether  or  not* 
the  providence  of  God  shall  permit  Mr.  Kirk  to  come  and 
share  with  us  in  our  labors,  our  joys,  and  our  sorrows. 

"  I  have  increasing  views  of  the  importance  of  a  whole 
work  of  the  Spirit,  a  universal  work,  one  whiqh  shall  reach 
our  whole  church  of  more  than  one  hundred,  all  young. 
You  recollect  Mr.  Kirk's  vivid  description  of  the  difference 
between  passing  through  the  deep  valley  and  rising  up  into 


332  THE    VICTORY   GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

a  revival,  and  leaping  immediately  into  the  sympathies  of  a 
revival.  We  need  experience  of  his  first  to  fit  us  for 
the  varied  and  important  remaining  duties  of  the  year.  On 
this  account,  I  have  some  query  whether  it  may  not  be  bet- 
ter that  Mr.  Kirk's  visit  should  be  deferred  a  little  longer. 
If  he  could  stay  two  or  three  full  weeks,  I  would  as  soon 
that  he  would  come  to-day  as  ever.  But  if  he  cannot  stay 
but  one  week,  and  possibly  even  less,  it  is  very  important 
that  he  come  at  the  right  time,  and  expend  his  power  in  the 
best  way.  His  fear  that  he  could  not  stay  long  enough  is 
my  great  fear.  It  seems  to  me  like  a  very  desirable  thing 
that  certain  minds,  certain  difficult  cases,  should  come  under 
the  influence  of  a  powerful  mind  and  warm  heart,  like  Mr. 
Kirk's,  and  we  all  need  some  stirring  means ;  but  my  own 
wifl  has  ever  been  graciously  kept  in  an  even  balance  con- 
cerning this  thing.  I  am  prepared  to  rejoice  or  to  acqui- 
esce as  soon  as  the  will  of  the  Lord  shall  be  made  known. 

"  Now,  whatever  may  be  in  relation  to  these  things,  let 
me  ask  and  beseech  you  three,  [Mr.  and  Mrs.  Safford  and 
Mr.  Kirk,]  my  dear  sympathizing  friends,  to  grant  me  one 
petition.  Will  you  every  day  offer  a  short  prayer  in  our 
behalf,  which  shall  arise  from  your  inmost  heart,  till  you 
hear  from  me  again,  which  shall  be  soon  ?  Only  ask  God, 
our  heavenly  Father,  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  our  blessed  Re- 
deemer, and  you  shall  have  your  request." 

FROM    MISS    WHITMAN    TO    MRS.    SAFFORD. 

"South  Hadley,  March  16,  1843. 
"  My  dear  Mrs.  Safford  : 

"  Miss  Lyon  requests  me  to  write  a  few  lines,  just  to  tell 
you  the  reason  why  she  has  not  written,  and  to  ask  a  con- 
tmuance  of  your  prayers  for  us.  She  is  now  quite  unwell 
with  a  cold,  and  thinks  it  duty  to  reserve  her  strength  for 
the  religious  exercises  of  the  school.  To-day  she  is  perhaps 
rather  better  than  yesterday,  yet  I  have  some  fears  that  she 


THE   WORK   ADVANCING.  333 

may  have  a  fever.  The  physician  was  yesterday  somewhat 
apprehensive  of  a  lung  fever.  Should  she  remain  entirely 
quiet,  it  would  undoubtedly  do  much  towards  a  restoration  ; 
but  as  the  present  religious  state  of  the  school  is,  this  seems 
very  difficult.  You  will  perhaps  recollect  that  Miss  Lyon 
was  absent  three  Sabbaths  previous  to  her  return  from 
Boston.  She  found,  on  her  return,  that  there  had  been  con- 
siderable increase  of  feeling,  and  a  state  of  apparent  prepa- 
ration for  the  reception  of  truth,  which  was  not  so  manifest 
when  she  left.  By  all  the  indications,  it  appears  that  we  are 
approaching  a  very  important  crisis.  There  seems  to  be  an 
increase  of  the  spirit  of  prayer  and  of  desire  for  spiritual 
blessings  on  the  part  of  Christians,  and  among  those  who  are 
yet  impenitent  there  is  not  perhaps  one  who  is  not  more  or 
less  affected,  and  some  are  deeply  impressed.  The  solemn 
countenance  and  tearful  eye,  whenever  the  subject  is  person- 
ally introduced,  show  that  the  Spirit  is  operating.  We  feel 
very  much  the  need  of  fervent,  importunate  prayer  to  bring 
us  the  rich  blessing  which  seems  so  near  to  us,  and  which 
appears  to  be  delayed  only  for  us  to  seek  it.  Our  meetings 
this  week  have  been  increased.  The  regular  recess  meet- 
ings are  very  promptly  attended.  These  have  been  occa- 
sionally lengthened,  and  a  daily  sectional  meeting  of  half  an 
hour  has  been  added  from  the  recreation  hours,  the  time 
usually  devoted  to  reading.  Among  some  members  of  our 
sections  there  seems  to  be  quite  a  revival  spirit.  As  teach- 
ers, we  feel  that  we  very  much  need  .the  prayers  of  our 
friends,  that  we  may  be  prepared,  by  the  reception  of  a  large 
measure  of  the  Spirit,  to  be  leaders  of  the  flock.  As  teach- 
ers, may  I  not  ask  a  special  remembrance  in  your  prayers  ? 
Our  need  is  great  and  very  pressing.  Since  her  return, 
Miss  Lyon  has  been  giving  some  connected  instruction  upon 
the  subject  of  prayer.  It  will  indeed  be  a  mysterious  prov- 
idence should  she  now  be  unable  to  speak  to  us." 


334  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

MISS    LYON    TO    MR.    SAFFORD. 

"Friday  Morxing,  March  17,  1843. 
"Dear  Sir: 

"  The  present  state  of  our  school  is  exceedingly  critical. 
May  you  have  a  mind  and  a  heart  to  pray  for  us.  The  tes- 
timony from  every  source  —  from  the  teachers,  from  the 
prayer  meetings,  from  meetings  for  the  impenitent,  from  in- 
dividual conversation  among  Christians  and  among  the  im- 
penitent —  is  all  the  same,  proving  beyond  doubt  that  the 
Spirit  of  God  is  moving  with  a  gentle  influence  on  the  face 
of  the  waters.  Still,  there  is  not  that  point  and  decision 
which  must  be  attained,  or  we  shall  fail  of  the  blessing.  The 
great  and  distressing  doubt  which  rested  on  my  mind  about 
using  any  extra  means  myself  has,  in  the  providence  of 
God,  been  somewhat  removed.  That  interesting  state  on 
many  things,  such  as  missions,  the  general  path  of  duty, 
&c.,  seems  now  changing  to  an  increasing  desire  for  the 
direct  and  special  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Our  regu- 
lar business  goes  forward  just  as  usual,  but  many  have  been 
looking  up  their  leisure  time  for  religion.  The  teachers  are 
most  of  them  very  much  engaged  in  gathering  up  the  frag- 
ments of  time,  that  nothing  be  lost.  I  have  had  a  short 
extra  meeting  for  the  impenitent  every  day.  I  have  been 
able  to  meet  all  my  appointments,  though  sometimes  I  have 
concentrated  all  the  strength  of  three  or  four  hours  into  half 
an  hour.  Every  thing  I  do  is  such  a  privilege.  It  is  such 
a  privilege,  too,  to  depend  daily  and  hourly  for  light,  for 
strength,  and  for  hope  on  our  heavenly  Father,  through 
Jesus  Christ,  our  Redeemer! 

"  It  is  so  difficult  for  me  to  stop  writing !  My  heart  is  so 
full !  But  I  fear  you  cannot  read  this.  If  not,  let  it  go  as 
of  no  great  importance." 


VALUE    OF   THE    SABBATH..  335 

"South  Hadley,  March  21,  1843. 
"  My  dear  Mrs,  Safford  : 

"I  must  write  you  a  few  lines  this  morning,  though  I  can 
say  but  little.  I  want  to  ask  your  prayers  especially  in  two 
or  three  respects.  Respecting  our  state  generally  I  have 
little  to  say,  only  that  the  Lord  is  doing  his  own  work  in  his 
own  blessed  way.  The  work  is  going  forward  apparently 
with  great  rapidity,  stillness,  universality,  gentleness,  and 
power.  I  believe  I  mentioned  about  sixty  who  entered  the 
school  without  hope.  I  should  have  excepted  some  eight  or 
ten  as  the  fruits  of  the  drops  of  mercy  which  have  been 
failing  upon  us  from  month  to  month  during  the  year.  I 
suppose  now  not  less  than  one  half  of  the  sixty  are  indulging 
a  hope  of  pardoning  mercy  through  the  blood  of  Christ.  A 
large  number  of  hopeful  conversions  have  occurred  in  three 
days,  including  the  Sabbath.  The  Sabbath  is  of  indescriba- 
ble value  to  us.  There  can  be  no  community  to  which  it  is 
more  important.  In  times  of  revival,  it  seems  always  to  be 
the  day  that  God  delights  peculiarly  to  honor.  At  other 
times,  it  seems  to  be  worth  more  than  all  other  days  in 
bringing  the  thoughts  into  captivity  to  the  will  of  Christ. 

"■  You  will  ask  what  means  we  are  using.  They  are  so 
small  that  I  can  hardly  tell  what  they  are,  and  yet  they  are 
numerous,  simple,  and,  through  the  infinite  condescension 
of  God,  they  seem  to  be  adapted  to  our  state.  In  the  use 
of  means,  we  simply  walk,  day  by  day,  by  the  light  which 
is  so  graciously  shed  on  our  path.  We  cannot,  we  would 
not  look  forward.  Our  studies  go  forward,  as  usual,  with  all 
their  regularity,  our  family  duties  with  all  their  accustomed 
order.  But  we  feel  that  we  can  and  ought  to  turn  aside  from 
other  sources  of  social  improvement  and  enjoyment,  that  all 
the  fragments  of  time  may  be  gathered  up  and  devoted  to 
the  great  and  grand  business  of  seeking  a  divine  blessing  to 
descend  on  all  this  family.  The  teachers  are  all  of  one 
mind  and  one  heart  in  this  thing.    We  use  our  fragments  of 


336  THE    VICXaRY   GAINED   AND    SECUKED. 

time  just  when  they  happen  to  come,  and  just  for  the  object 
for  which  they  seem  at  the  time  to  be  most  needed.  The 
prayer  meetings  are  sometimes  fifteen  minutes,  sometimes 
half  an  hour,  and  sometimes  longer,  according  to  circum- 
stances. Some  of  the  teachers  have  quite  a  prayer  meeting 
in  fifteen  minutes  at  recess  in  the  evening  with  their  sec- 
tions. They  have  adopted  the  practice  in  these  little  daily 
meetings,  long  ago,  of  having  the  prayers  unsolicited.  This 
turns  to  a  favorable  account  just  now.  Sometimes  they  find 
time  for  three  or  four  prayers  in  fifteen  minutes.  They  can 
return  to  their  duties  with  renewed  energy  and  submission, 
if  not  of  pleasure  in  their  studies.  The  teachers  really  seem 
to  be  emphatically  the  leaders  of  the  flock.  In  the  meetings 
for  the  impenitent  I  have  no  very  definite  plan.  My  waiting 
eyes  are  unto  God.  From  day  to  day,  thus  far,  the  path  of 
duty  has  been  plain.  The  almost  Egyptian  darkness  which 
rested  on  my  mind  about  the  path  of  duty  was  but  a  con- 
trast to  that  light  which  shines  from  day  to  day.  I  have  no 
knowledge  of  future  duty,  and  I  ask  for  none.  It  is  so 
sweet  to  carry  every  burden  and  every  care  to  the  throne 
of  everlasting  love,  and  of  perfect  confidence  through  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  My  lungs  have  not  allowed  me  the  priv- 
ilege of  individual  conversation,  but  the  teachers  and  others 
are  instant  in  season  and  out  of  season. 

"  But  my  sheet  is  full,  and  I  fear  the  mail  will  be  gone, 
and  I  have  not  told  my  errand.     First,  I  want  you  should 

pray   daily   and   unitedly   with   great   fervency  for . 

She  has  some  rather  peculiar  associations,  as  I  suppose. 
She  retains  her  hope,  but  something  in  her  character  revolts 
from  every  thing  social  in  feeling  or  action.  I  cannot  find 
that  an  individual  in  the  house  has  been  able  to  approach  her 
successfully  in  the  least  degree  on  the  religion  of  her  heart 
or  life.  I  have  met  minds  in  a  similar  state,  and,  as  a  matter 
of  judgment  in  her  case,  have  avoided  meeting  her  on  the 
subject,  hoping  that  some  door  might  be  opened  in  her  behalf 


THE    WORK    POWERFUL.  337 

before  the  year  closes.  Many  things  may  be  done  and  said 
in  time  of  a  revival  that  cannot  be  done  and  said  at  any 
other  time.  This  may  be  the  favored  time  for  her.  I  have 
approached  the  subject  gently,  and  hope  I  may  have  the 
privilege  of  doing  something  more.  I  think  it  not  best  that 
she  should  know  that  the  subject  passes  between  us.  But  I 
hope  you  will  really  pray  in  her  behalf. 

"  We  have  some  individuals  that  seem  among  the  most 
hopeless.  They  are  among  the  righteous  towards  men. 
They  have  passed  seasons  of  conviction,  and  perhaps  in- 
dulged hope  once  or  twice.  Here  they  are  clothed  now  in 
the  self-righteousness  of  not  being  deceived  this  time.  Do 
pray  for  them. 

"  My  continued  desire  and  prayer  is,  that  this  whole  family 
as  a  family,  and  every  individual  as  an  individual,  may  be 
baptized  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  We  are  experiencing  some 
interesting  reconversions  among  those  who  have  long  in- 
dulged a  hope." 

"South  Hadley,  Saturday  Eve,  March  25,  1843. 
"  My  dear  Mrs.  Safford  : 

"  I  cannot  tell  you  how  rejoiced  I  was  to  receive  your 
letter.  I  had  so  long  been  looking  and  longing  for  it.  I 
knew  you  were  praying  for  us,  but  1  wanted  to  have  you  tell 
me  so.  We  are  in  greater  need  than  ever  of  the  power  of 
prayer.  As  you  hear  from  us,  from  time  to  time,  I  trust 
that  you  will  not  cease  to  give  thanks  to  God,  and  to  pray 
without  ceasing,  making  all  our  requests  known  to  God.  It 
is  sweet  to  think  of  you  as  praying  in  our  behalf,  if  you 
cannot  come  and  see  us.  We  are  on  the  verge  of  another 
holy  Sabbath.  It  is  a  great  event  for  us  to  pass  a  holy  Sab- 
bath. O  that  a  great,  a  very  great  blessing  may  descend 
upon  us !  The  past  week  has  been  a  wonderful  time.  Of 
that  sixty  over  whom  I  mourned  so  much,  and  wept  so  much, 
and  prayed  so  much,  the  week  I  was  with  you,  only  a 
29 


338  THE    VICTOEY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

remnant  are  now  without  hope.  But  some  very  trying  cases 
are  left.  O  for  that  all-prevailing  prayer  in  their  behalf 
which  shall  be  heard  !  Several  professors  of  religion  have 
given  up  their  hope,  and  a  few  have  disclosed  the  fact  that 
they  have  had  no  hope  for  a  long  time.  Some  of  them  are 
now  walking  in  light,  and  others  are  shrouded  in  thick  dark- 
ness. But  the  Lord  has  wrought  for  us  such  great  things 
that  we  can  but  trust  him  in  every  time  of  need. 

"  Monday  Morning.  —  We  have  decided  to  devote  this 
day  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer.  This  is  the  first  day 
this  year  that  we  set  apart  to  such  a  blessing  on  ourselves 
as  individuals  and  on  our  family  as  a  family.  It  is  a  great 
and  a  solemn  thing  to  set  apart  such  a  day.  It  is  a  great 
thnig  voluntarily  to  give  up  all  our  business  for  a  whole  day, 
that  we  may  meet  God  in  the  inner  sanctuary  of  his  holy, 
spiritual  temple.  I  trust  this  day  is  brought  by  many  hearts 
as  a  willing  offering,  and  that  it  will  be  accepted  through 
the  blood  of  the  everlasting  covenant. 

"  I  have  many  things  which  I  want  to  write,  but  I  cannot 
now.  I  should  be  glad  to  tell  you  how  the  Lord  has  led  us 
along  by  his  own  right  hand.  I  should  love  to  give  you  one 
simple  page  from  my  own  soul.     Do  write  very  soon." 

More  letters  of  Miss  Lyon  respecting  the  revival  of  1843 
have  come  into  my  hands  than  of  any  other  special  work  of 
grace.  That  she  had  similar  feelings  and  made  similar 
efforts  at  other  times  cannot  be  doubted.  But  it  is  fortunate 
that  we  have  her  views  so  fully  in  respect  to  that  powerful 
work. 

TO    MES.    BANISTER. 

"South  Had  let,  March  8,  1843. 
"  Mt  deae  Mes.  B.  : 

"  I  have  been  absent  a  short  time,  and  on  my  return  yes- 
terday found  your  two  letters.  You  ask  about  the  spiritual 
interests  of  our  school.     I  was  just  thinking  of  writing  to 


ANXIETY  FOR  THE  IMPENITENT.  339 

you  on  this  very  subject,  that  I  might  beseech  your  prayers 
at  this  time,  for  it  is  one  of  great  darkness,  of  anxiety,  of 
hope,  of  fear.  In  temporal  things  we  have  been  greatly 
blessed.  We  have  a  much  greater  supply  of  teachers  than 
usual.  Misses  M.  and  W.  have  applied  their  minds  closely 
to  reducing  every  thing  under  their  control  to  the  most  beau- 
tiful order  and  symmetry,  and  with  great  success.  Our 
young  ladies  are  very  youthful,  more  and  more  so  every 
year ;  but  there  is  so  much  docility,  such  a  sweet  atmosphere 
all  around,  that  I  feel,  from  day  to  day,  that  our  home  is  a 
sweet  home.  There  is  more  missionary  interest  than  usual, 
and  more  desire  among  some  Christians  to  be  prepared  for 
the  service  of  God.  But,  alas  !  one  thing  is  lacking  —  the 
direct  and  powerful  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  A  few 
gentle  drops  have  descended,  but  we  have  enjoyed  no  plen- 
tiful shower,  and  this  we  greatly  need.  According  to  all 
former  experience,  the  harvest  time  for  this  year  will  be  past 
in  four  or  five  weeks.  Then  will  come  the  finishing  up  of 
the  term  and  the  spring  examinations.  After  that  will  follow 
the  short  summer  term,  a  most  favorable  time  for  fixing  last 
impressions,  for  attempting  to  lead  Christians  into  green  and 
living  pastures,  but  not  a  favorable  time  for  the  work  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  in  breaking  up  the  fallow  ground  by  conviction 
and  conversion.  Nearly  sixty  of  our  number  are  without 
hope.  As  teachers,  as  Christians,  as  an  institution,  we 
greatly  need  the  etfects  of  a  powerful  revival.  1  fear  to 
make  any  extra  effort ;  I  fear  to  omit  it.  1  know  not  what 
to  do.  The  way  seems  greatly  hedged  up.  I  fear  to  go 
forward  ;  I  dare  not  stand  still ;  I  cannot  go  back. 

"  I  went  to'  Boston  to  help  fit  off*  one  of  our  teachers  as 
a  missionary  to  the  Nestorians.  I  made  arrangements  to  be 
absent  a  few  days  longer,  that  I  might  have  time  to  look 
over  our  sad,  very  sad  state,  and  that  I  might  inquire  of 
the  Lord  a  right  path  in  which  to  walk.  I  wanted  exceed- 
ingly to  go  to  N.,  and  also  to  M.,  on  my  way  home  ;  but  I 
thought  it  my  duty  to  stay  in  one  place,  to  make  no  ca]!s> 


340  THE    VICTORY    GAINED    AND    SECURED. 

to  do  but  a  little  business,  and  only  attend  meetings  as  I 
could.  I  have  seldom  had  so  profitable  a  week,  when  I  have 
had  so  much  physical  and  mental  rest,  and  so  much,  as  I 
humbly  hope,  of  spiritual  refreshing.  1  have  been  greatly 
interested  in  examining  the  subject  of  prayer.  Since  I  re- 
turned, a  few  more  drops  have  fallen.  But  how  so  great  a 
work  can  be  done  in  so  short  a  time  I  know  not.  All  is  yet 
darkness,  but  I  hope  and  trust  that  light  will  shine  out  of 
darkness.  Now,  I  have  one  urgent  request  to  make  of  you. 
It  is,  that  you  would  set  apart  a  little  time  every  day  to  pray 
in  sincerity  and  in  truth  for  us.  Pray  that  God  would,  in 
his  own  way,  do  a  great  work  here,  and  give  us  a  great 
blessing.  Pray  that  we  may  be  taught  what  the  Lord  would 
have  us  do.  Will  you  thus  pray  every  day  till  you  hear 
from  us  again,  which  shall  be  soon  .•*  For  a  few  days,  I  de- 
sign to  study  daily  two  passages  of  Scripture,  praying  that  I 
may  be  led  by  the  Spirit  to  receive  into  the  understand- 
ing and  heart  just  what  the  Holy  Ghost  has  revealed  in 
these  wonderful  passages  —  Luke  xi.  5-13,  James  i.  5-8. 
Would  you  like  to  study  these  daily  with  me,  as  you  pray 
for  us .''  " 

What  a  different  meaning  did  Miss  Lyon  attach  to  the 
word  rest  from  what  is  generally  understood  !  Her  views,  I 
apprehend,  approximated  to  what  the  Bible  calls  rest  in 
heaven,  viz.,  a  state  of  intense  activity  in  the  service 
of  God. 

TO    MRS.    BANISTER. 

"March  20,  1843. 
"  When  I   last  wrote  to  you,  I  engaged  to  address  you 
again  very  soon.     I  have  been  very  sick  for  a  week,  or  I 
should  have  written  some  days  sooner. 

"  In  my  last,  I  requested  a  special  interest  in  your  prayers 
until  you  heard  from  us  again.  I  communicated  also  some- 
thing respecting  our  religious  state.  Just  at  that  time,  I  felt 
thsU  we  were  in   a  very  trying,  critical   condition.     I  had 


TRUST    IN    GOD.  341 

been  absent  three  Sabbaths.  After  spending  "another  Sab- 
bath here,  and  becoming  more  acquainted  with  the  state  of 
things,  I  began  to  feel  '  surely  the  Lord  is  in  this  place,  and 
I  knew  it  not.'  In  all  seasons  of  religious  interest  in  this 
house  the  Lord  has  ever  delighted  to  own  and  bless  the  holy 
Sabbath.  For  the  last  week,  a  work  has  been  going  forward 
with  convincing  evidence  that  it  is  indeed  the  work  of  the 
Lord.  I  believe  I  told  you  in  my  last  that  I  spent  a  few 
days  in  Boston,  that  I  might  have  quiet  and  time  to  look  over 
our  condition,  and  to  seek  the  right  way.  The  state  of  our 
school  in  general  has  been  unusually  encouraging  this  year. 
There  has  been  a  very  sweet  spirit,  a  pleasant  docility,  and 
a  consistent  deportment.  Our  evening  prayer  meetings  have 
been  like  a  connecting  artery  through  which  the  life-blood 
flowed.  Our  semi-monthly  missionary  meeting  has  been 
better  attended  than  ever  before,  and  we  have  all  thought 
that  the  missionary  spirit  was  advancing  in  the  seminary. 
This  spirit  seemed  to  receive  an  impulse  by  Miss  Fisk's 
leaving  us,  and  devoting  herself  to  this  work.  I  have 
thought  we  seemed  preparing  for  every  thing  else  desirable 
except  for  the  reception  of  the  special  influences  of  the  Floly 
Spirit.  To  this  there  seemed  some  great  barrier.  This  was 
the  great  thing  to  be  sought.  This  we  needed  to  convict 
and  convert  sinners,  to  give  that  living  faith  in  the  great 
atoning  sacrifice  without  which  it  is  impossible  to  please 
God.  This  we  needed  to  overcome  the  world,  to  fix  our 
hopes,  to  establish  our  joys,  to  settle  forever  our  confidence. 
I  returned  from  Boston  not  knowing  whither  I  should  be  led, 
or  whether  there  was  any  thing  special  that  could  be  done. 
But  I  felt  a  trust,  and  a  reliance  on  an  invisible  arm,  greater 
and  sweeter  than  I  can  ever  describe.  What  a  privilege  it 
is  to  walk  by  faith  !  What  a  privilege  it  is  to  have  no  wis- 
dom of  our  own,  to  have  no  plan  for  the  future,  that  the 
wisdom  of  God  may  be  more  manifest,  and  that  the  indica- 
tions of  Providence  and  the  guidance  of  the  Spirit,  day  by 
29* 


342  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

day,  may  be  more  precious  !  I  found,  on  my  return,  that  a 
spiritual  change  was  passing  over  the  face  9f  things,  that  the 
Spirit  of  God  was  gently  moving  on  the  face  of  the  waters. 
The  teachers  I  found  more  active  in  gathering  up  the  frag- 
ments of  time  for  religious  duties  and  privileges  connected 
with  those  under  their  care.  Some  Christians  were  becom- 
ing deeply  interested.  Many  of  the  impenitent  were  in  an 
inquiring  state,  and  some  very  deeply  affected.  The  work 
appears  now  to  be  going  directly  forward.  Some  eight  or 
ten  expressed  a  hope  at  different  times  along  in  the  winter. 
This  number  is  now  increased  probably  to  about  twenty-five. 
We  are  passing  a  very  important  time.  There  are  some 
exceedingly  difiicult,  dark  cases.  Some  have  passed 
through  revival  after  revival,  have  been  deeply  affected,  in- 
dulged a  hope  once  or  twice,  have  made  one  effort  after 
another,  and  now,  as  they  suppose,  are  setded  down  in  a 
state  of  disconsolate  indifference.  May  the  Lord  give  you  a 
mind  and  heart  to  pray  for  us !  May  I  not  hear  from  you 
soon  ?     Let  me  have  a  page  from  your  own  heart. 

"  I  should  love  to  write  you  a  long  letter  about  my  own 
personal  feelings.  Some  views  of  truth  have  of  late  passed 
before  my  mind  in  an  exceedingly  interesting  manner  to 
myself.  With  what  condescension  does  God  come  down  in 
the  simplicity  of  truth  to  our  own  personal  wants  !  Let  God 
be  honored, let  Christ  be  all  and  in  all,  and  let  every  created 
being  be  less  than  nothing  and  vanity." 

At  the  close  of  a  business  letter,  dated  April  13,  1843, 
she  writes, — 

"  I  hoped  I  should  have  quite  a  large  part  of  this  sheet  to 
tell  you  what  the  Lord  hath  wrought  for  us  since  I  last  wrote 
you.  I  believe  just  at  the  time  that  I  sent  my  last  letter,  a 
cloud  of  mercy  was  gathering  over  our  heads,  and  a  few 
drops  had  fallen  upon  us.  The  cloud  had  so  long  been 
gathering,  and  so   gently,  that  we   scarcely  knew  it ;    but 


THE    WORK    REMARKABLE.  343 

soon  the  windows  of  heaven  were  opened,  and  the  blessing 
descended,  so  that  there  was  scarcely  room  in  our  minds  or 
hearts  to  receive  it.  When  I  returned  from  Boston,  there 
were  a  few  more  than  fifty  without  hope.  In  about  three 
weeks,  all  but  six  expressed  some  hope  that  they  had  found 
the  Savior ;  in  a  single  week  of  this  time,  more  than  thirty 
of  the  number. 

"  In  all  my  privileged  experience  connected  with  the  work 
of  the  Spirit,  this,  I  think,  has  been  of  unparalleled  rapidity; 
and  yet  I  have  never  witnessed  more  quietness  and  stillness 
than  in  its  progress,  or  any  less  of  what  some  call  reaction 
to  be  watched  against  in  the  result.  It  has  seemed  like  a 
sudden,  powerful  shower  bursting  upon  us,  but  descending 
with  so  much  gentleness  that  not  a  leaf  or  twig  among  the 
tender  plants  is  turned  out  of  its  place,  and  then  so  suddenly 
giving  way  to  the  beautiful  sun  and  refreshing  dews.  But 
as  teachers,  we  have  a  great  work  to  cherish  these  tender 
plants.  Shall  we  not  have  your  prayers }  O,  to  follow 
Christ  in  the  work  of  cherishing  them  is  what  I  want.  This 
desire  enters  almost  daily  into  the  very  depths  of  my  soul 
with  an  untold  and  unwonted  strength." 

In  the  following,  reference  is  made  to  the  "  Missionary 
Offering :  "  — 

"  SouTU  IIadley,  June  12,  1843. 
"  My  deak  Mrs.  B.  : 

"  I  will  just  communicate  to  you  a  secret.  I  have  been 
employing  all  the  time  I  could  take  for  the  last  month  in 
writing  an  article,  which  I  expect  to  put  into  a  very  little 
book.  How  much  I  should  value  a  little  of  your  aid  in  fit- 
ting it  for  the  press !  But  this  cannot  be  with  your  health 
and  cares,  and  with  my  extreme  pressure  relative  to  time. 
As  a  mere  matter  of  friendship,  however,  I  should  love  just 
to  read  it  to  you.  If  the  printers  can  spare  it,  I  shall  take  it 
with  me,  though  there  may  not  be  time  to  read  it.  It  would 
take  about  one  hour  and  a  half.  I  am  extremely  anxious 
that  no  one  should  guess  at  the  writer  of  this  little  book." 


3^44  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

The  following  letter  was  among  the  last  which  Miss  Lyon 
wrote :  — 

"  South  Hadlet,  January  29,  1849. 

"  My  DEAR  Mrs.  Safford  : 

"  Our  school  have  just  returned  after  vacation.  We  know 
but  little  of  the  religious  state.  The  influences  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  the  work  of  conversion  are  very  often  at  a  close 
nearly  with  a  vacation.  Looking  at  common  influences,  and 
the  results,  the  facts  in  the  case  seem  to  be,  that  just  before 
a  vacation,  all  who  have  much  interest  feel  a  kind  of  neces- 
sity laid  upon  them  to  give  their  whole  attention  to  the  subject. 
This  circumstance  is  made  a  means  of  good  in  the  conde- 
scending mercy  of  God.  After  the  vacation  is  passed,  not 
many  remain  with  much  interest ;  either  they  have  entered 
the  ark  of  safety,  or  have  gone  back  to  the  world.  I  do  not 
know  how  it  is  now.  But  will  you  not  pray  that  this  year 
may  be  an  exception  in  this  particular  ?  Pray  that  the  Spirit 
may  abide  with  us,  not  only  in  the  building  up  of  Christians, 
but  in  the  conviction  and  conversion  of  sinners.  The  grace 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  rich  and  boundless,  and  here  is 
our  only  hope." 

Such  a  history  as  the  preceding  is  certainly  very  instruc- 
tive as  well  as  interesting  to  every  Christian  who  loves  revi- 
vals. It  lets  us  into  the  true  secret  of  the  extraordinary 
exhibitions  of  divine  grace  with  which  this  school,  as  well 
as  its  prototypes,  have  been  favored  ;  and  that  is,  the  uniform 
and  systematic  fidelity  of  the  instructors.  Practically,  as 
well  as  theoretically,  they  have  given  religion  the  first  place 
in  their  teachings,  and  have  really  felt  more  solicitous  about 
the  eternal  than  the  literary  welfare  of  their  pupils  ;  and  God 
has  honored  those  who  thus  honored  Him,  by  that  special 
influence  that  subdues  and  converts  the  soul.  And  how 
free  have  these  seasons  been  of  all  extravagance  and  enthu- 
siasm !     Such  revivals  are  not  followed  by  a  painful  reaction', 


NUMBER    OF    REVIVALS.  345 

as  in  some  of  the  churches  where  animal  feeling  has  done 
more  than  God's  Spirit.  The  very  large  proportion  of  con- 
verts in  these  revivals,  compared  .with  those  in  the  churches 
generally,  is  also  a  feature  very  remarkable.  Doubtless 
the  thoroughness  and  adaptation  of  the  means  employed 
have  had  an  important  connection  with  such  results.  For,  in 
general,  God  operates  according  to  means ;  that  is,  he  acts 
according  to  certain  laws,  as  really  as  in  the  ordinary  pro- 
cesses of  nature  ;  and,  of  course,  the  more  appropriate  the 
means,  and  the  more  faithfully  applied,  the  more  glorious 
will  be  the  results. 

In  some  subsequent  extracts  which  we  shall  present,  we 
shall  see  that  the  means  preparatory  to  these  revivals  were 
not  used  by  Miss  Lyon  alone,  but  equally  by  the  other 
teachers. 

Precisely  how  many  revivals  Miss  Lyon  passed  through 
during  her  life,  it  may  not  be  possible  to  state.  A  friend  is 
confident  that  Miss  L.  informed  her  that  the  number  was 
about  thirty  ;  but  some,  well  qualified  to  judge,  doubt  whether 
this  number  is  not  rather  too  large.  But  when  we  recollect 
that  she  witnessed  eleven  at  South  Hadley,  is  it  not  probable 
that  in  the  thirteen  previous  years,  in  which  she  taught  at 
Ashfield,  Buckland,  Derry,  and  Ipswich,  and  in  the  pre- 
vious twenty-four  years  of  her  life,  she  might  have  passed 
through  as  many  as  twenty  more  ? 

In  'most  of  these  she  was  a  prominent  actor,  and  had 
agonized  in  prayer  before  they  came.  How  few  of  the  min- 
isters of  the  gospel  have  had  experience  half  as  abundant ! 

Cultivation  of  a  Benevolent  and  Missionary  Spirit  in  the 
Seminary. 

Not  much  was  said,  in  starting  this  institution,  about  rais- 
ing up  missionaries.  Yet  in  fact  the  principles  on  which  it 
was  founded,  and  the  manner  in  which  it  has  been  conducted, 
could  not  but  lead  to  such  a  result.     All  who  engaged  in  the 


346  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED, 

work  of  founding  and  conducting  the  enterprise  were  ex- 
pected to  do  it  on  the  same  benevolent  principles  that  form 
the  mainspring  of  missionary  labors.  They  were  not  to 
expect  any  pecuniary  reward,  save  what  was  essential  tcf 
support  them  by  the  most  economical  mode  of  living.  The 
pupils  were  taught  that  they  ought  to  engage  in  the  business 
of  teaching  from  a  sense  of  duty,  and  a  benevolent  desire  to 
do  good.  And  hence  they  were  not  to  avoid  any  field  of 
labor  because  it  was  hard  and  uninviting.  They  were  to 
hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  go  to  any  part  of  our  own  wide 
country,  where  Providence  should  point  out  the  post  of  duty. 
And  surely  some  of  these  posts  are  quite  as  repulsive  to  any 
thing  but  benevolence  as  any  foreign  missionary  field.  In- 
deed, so  wide  is  our  country  now,  that  the  distinction  between 
home  and  foreign  missions  is  nearly  lost ;  and  when  we  hear 
of  a  person  going  to  Oregon,  or  California,  we  hardly  know 
whether  to  denominate  him  a  domestic  or  a  foreign  mission- 
ary. Hence  those  ladies  who  were  made  willing  to  go  to 
any  part  of  our  wide  territory  as  teachers  (and  that  was  a 
leading  and  expressed  object  of  the  seminary)  would  easily 
be  persuaded  to  go  to  foreign  lands  on  the  same  errand  of 
mercy. 

But  this  was  not  all.  For,  from  the  first,  I  believe,  special 
and  systematic  efforts  were  made  in  the  school  to  excite  an 
interest  in  foreign  missions.  A  missionary  meeting,  as  it  was 
called,  has  been  held,  since  the  third  year,  at  least  as  often 
as  once  a  fortnight,  or  once  a  month,  with  this  object  spe- 
cially in  view.  The  result  has  been,  that  up  to  1850,  not 
less  than  fortjf^members  of  the  seminary  have  gone  forth  to 
the  foreign  field  of  missionary  labor ;  among  whom  not  less 
than  nine  were  teachers  at  South  Had  ley.  With  these,  com- 
munications are  frequent,  and  their  letters  give  great  interest 
to  the  missionary  meetings.  At  the  seminary  a  journal  has 
for  several  years  been  kept  of  all  the  important  events  there 
transpiring;  and  a  copy  of  this  is  sent  to  the  missionaries; 


SUBJECT   OF    MISSIONS.  3'i7 

and  thus  a  mutual  interest  is  inspired  between  those  so 
widely  separated.  The  correspondence  forms  galvanic  wires, 
through  which  the  missionary  spirit  is  transmitted  backward 
and  forward. 

Personal  consecration  is  the  strongest  evidence  of  interest 
in  the  missionary  work  that  can  be  given.  But  contributions 
in  money  are  also  an  index  of  the  feelings  of  the  heart. 
Judged  of  by  this  standard,  one  is  struck  with  the  amount 
contributed  by  the  Holyoke  Seminary.  A  few  details  on 
this  point  will  be  given  in  another  place  ;  and  in  general  it 
may  be  stated,  that  the  annual  amount  has  varied  from  six 
hundred  to  one  thousand  dollars ;  and  this  has  been  done,  it 
should  be  recollected,  by  teachers  whose  salaries  varied  from 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  to  two  hundred  dollars,  and 
by  pupils,  many  of  whom  are  from  families  of  small  pecu- 
niary means. 

I  shall  now  copy  some  letters  of  Miss  Lyon  relating  to  the 
subject  of  missions,  though  not  exclusively  so.  From  these 
her  deep  interest  in  the  subject  may  be  seen.  I  shall  also 
give  a  few  letters  from  missionaries,  showing  their  estimate 
of  her  missionary  character. 

Miss  Fiske,  mentioned  in  some  of  the  following  letters, 
was  once  a  pupil  and  teacher  in  the  seminary,  and  the  first, 
I  believe,  that  left  for  a  foreign  mission.  Miss  Rice  was  also 
a  pupil.     Both  of  them  are  now  at  Ooroomiah,  in  Persia. 

TO  EEV.  JUSTIN  PEKKINS,  D.  D.,  OF  OOROOMIAH,  PERSIA. 

"  South  Hadley,  February  6,  1844. 
"  Dear  Sir  : 

"  Your  kind  letter,  bearing  date  July  7,  I  have  received, 
for  which  please  accept  my  cordial  thanks.  Perhaps  you 
may  occasionally  grant  me  a  like  favor. 

"  Your  testimony  to  Miss  Fiske's  happiness  and  use- 
fulness is  very  gratifying.  Her  own  letters,  too,  are  all 
suited  to  make  her  friends  happy  in  having  given  her  up  for 


348  THE   VICTORY   GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

such  a  work.  It  is  my  opinion  that  the  leadings  of  Provi- 
dence should  be  decisive  to  justify  our  encouraging  an  un- 
married female  to  go  on  a  foreign  mission.  My  impressions 
on  this  subject  were  strengthened  as  I  saw  Misses  Fiske  and 
Myers  bidding  farewell  to  friends  and  home,  and  kindred  and 
country.  How  different  was  their  situation  from  the  rest  of 
the  company  !  Every  other  missionary  had  one  intimate 
friend,  and  that  one  the  dearest  friend  on  earth.  But  Miss 
Fiske  has  been  admirably  prepared  by  the  endowments  of 
nature,  by  the  dealings  of  Providence,  and  by  the  influence 
of  grace,  for  just  such  a  sacrifice.  I  rejoice  that  her  heav- 
enly Father  has  called  her  to  this  self-denying  work,  and  that 
she  was  not  disobedient  to  the  heavenly  voice.  I  rejoice,  too, 
that  the  iinger  of  Providence  pointed  her  out  to  go,  rather 
than  any  other  one  about  whom  we  had  conversation.  I, 
doubt  not  that  she  will  find  many  ways  of  doing  good  besides 
that  of  teaching.  As  you  wander  along  together,  a  lonely 
band  through  this  vale  of  tears,  and  as  you  are  laboring  and 
suffering  for  Chris'.'s  sake,  I  doubt  not  that  Miss  Fiske  will 
often  be  able,  in  her  own  quiet  way,  to  come  to  one  heart 
and  another  as  an  angel  of  mercy  and  kindness.  Sometimes 
she  may  be  able  to  give  to  some  of  her  companions  in  toil  a 
cup  of  consolation,  when  others,  who  would  fain  enjoy  the 
same  privilege,  have  not  the  time  nor  the  strength  granted 
them. 

"  Miss  Fiske  has  been  very  faithful  and  successful  in  writ- 
ing letters.  I  think  this  not  among  the  least  of  the  ways 
given  her  to  serve  the  cause. 

"  You  speak  with  interest  of  your  visit  to  America,  and  to 
our  beloved  institution.  Your  remembrance  of  us  is  grati- 
fying to  our  hearts.  I  rejoice  that  I  was  permitted  to  see  so 
much  of  you  while  in  this  country.  I  enjoyed  your  visits 
here  very  much,  and  the  memory  is  still  precious.  We  love 
to  recognize  your  mission  and  your  name,  as  well  as  that  of 
our  beloved  friend.  Miss  Fiske.     1  would  rejoice  and  thank 


LETTERS    FROM    MISSIONARIES.  349 

God  in  your  behalf,  that  your  return,  your  visitation,  and 
your  departure,  were  attended  with  so  many  circumstances, 
comforting  to  yourselves  and  favorable  to  the  cause.  Among 
all  the  duties  that  devolve  on  a  missionary,  it  is  far  from 
being  the  least  responsible,  to  be  called  in  providence  to  visit 
his  native  land,  and  to  meet  all  the  people  and  all  things 
which  he  must  meet,  and  to  make  every  where  an  honest,  a 
faithful,  and  a  salutary  impression  —  an  impression  worthy 
of  Him  who  came  from  heaven  to  earth  on  a  great  mission 
to  save  a  lost  and  guilty  world, 

"  Give  my  very  affectionate  regards  to  Mrs.  Perkins. 
May  the  Lord  sustain  and  comfort  her  under  all  her  trials. 
May  you  both  have  strength  given  you,  for  many  years  to 
come,  to  enjoy  the  privilege  of  laboring  and  suffering  for 
Christ's  sake. 

"  Give  my  affectionate  remembrance  to  Mar  Yohannan. 
I  hope  he  will  live  to  see  many  missionaries  go  from  his 
country  to  different  parts  of  Asia.     My  love  to  Miss  Myers." " 

MISS    FIDELIA    FISKE    TO    MISS    WHITMAN. 

"  OoKOOMiAH,  November  24,  1849 
"  My  own  loved  Sister  : 

"  I  enclose  copies  of  some  letters  which  Miss  Lyon  wrote 
me  after  leaving  America.  While  they  are  peculiarly  pre- 
cious to  me,  I  did  not  think  of  their  being  useful  in  preparing 
her  memoir.  But  my  associates  here  thought  I  should  by 
all  means  copy  them,  and  I  have  done  so.  It  has  been  a 
pleasingly  mournful  task,  and  I  could  hardly  restrain  my 
feelings  in  doing  it.  But  I  mourn  not  for  her.  She  is  blest, 
supremely  blest,  and  we  would  not  recall  her  from  that  sweet, 
heavenly  home.  I  shall  await  the  appearance  of  her  me- 
moir with  peculiar  interest,  as  will  thousands  of  others. 
Who  can  do  justice  to  her  memory  ?  I  am  sure  no  mortal. 
But  her  record  is  with  the  Holy  One.  An  angel's  pen, 
directed  by  the  Savior,  who  was  so  precious  to  her  in  life, 
30 


350  THE    VICTORY    GAINED    AND    SECURED. 

and  in  death  has  done  what  those  who  loved  her  here,  lain 
would,  but  cannot  do. 

"  I  cannot  tell  you,  my  dear  sister,  how  often,  nor  with  how 
much  sympathy,  I  think  of  you.  Never  do  I  ask  my  own 
daily  bread,  without  asking  it  for  her  so  dear  to  me,  and  on 
whom  such  crushing  responsibilities  rest.  May  the  Lord 
sustain  you.  I  rejoice  to  believe  that  he  will.  You  serve 
the  same  God,  and  in  the  same  cause,  that  dear  Miss  Lyon 
did,  and  many  are  the  fervent  prayers  which  go  up  to 
heaven  for  you.." 

MISS    LYON    TO    MISS    FISKE. 

"  South  Hadley,  March  4,  1844. 
"  My  dear  Miss  Fiske  : 

"  It  is  one  year  this  week  since  we  were  in  Boston  together. 
I  have  often  desired  to  write  you  some  of  the  passing  events, 
some  of  deep  and  thrilling  interest,  which  have  transpired 
since  that  time.  As  the  mind  and  heart  have  been  borne 
along  upon  the  swelling  wave,  I  have  thought  of  you,  and 
thought,  too,  that  I  should  love  to  have  you  know  what  was 
passing  among  us.  But  I  have  almost  done  writing  letters, 
except  on  business.  I  can  never  again  sit  down  to  write 
what  will  be  worth  passing  so  far  by  mail.  But  in  this  little 
box  I  cannot  refrain  from  depositing  a  note.  But  what  shall 
I  write  .'*  Every  thing  must  be  told  you  over  and  over  again, 
except  it  may  be  some  of  the  passing  things  in  my  own 
breast.  And  first  I  would  thank  you  sincerely  for  your 
faithfulness  and  promptness  in  writing  to  me,  and  to  us  all. 
I  believe  it  is  one  prominent  way  offered  you  of  doing  good 
to  write  to  this  seminary.  I  hope  you  will  have  a  mind,  and 
a  heart,  and  strength,  and  time  to  continue  to  do  what  you 
have  begun.  I  shall  enjoy,  in  my  turn,  receiving  an  occa- 
sional letter,  though  I  may  never  write  you  again. 

"  You  remember  the  state  of  the  school  when  you  left. 
A.fter  you  were  fairly  gone,  I  had  a  little  time  to  look  at  our 


THE    MISSIONARY    OFFERING.  351 

i*eal  condition.  It  seemed  to  me  very  peculiar  and  critical, 
and  so  it  now  seems  to  me  in  review.  I  can  never  forget  that 
week  in  Boston  after  you  left,  which  I  spent  there  especially 
to  rest,  to  meditate,  and  to  try  to  pray  ;  and  I  never  can  forget 
the  scenes  of  the  month  which  followed,  and  of  the  unspeak- 
able grace  of  God  then  manifested.  But  Miss  Whitman  and 
others  have  written  you  all  the  particulars.  I  will  just  pass 
that  over,  and  not  attempt  to  describe  that  remarkable  chap- 
ter in  our  history.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  the  grace  of  God 
was  manifested  in  a  wonderful  manner.  Those  I  shall  ever 
regard  as  among  the  most  striking  scenes,  exhibiting  and 
illustrating  the  great  scheme  of  salvation. 

"  I  will  just  take  time  to  describe  an  incident  in  the  history 
of  my  own  emotions,  which  resulted  in  the  little  book  which 
I  send  you  with  this  —  the  '  Missionary  Offering.'  You  may 
inquire  how  I  found  time  to  write  a  letter  long  enough  to 
make  a  book.  The  truth  is,  that  my  spirit  was  so  stirred, 
and  my  heart  so  burdened,  that  I  wrote  as  fast  as  possible, 
without  inquiring  how  I  wrote,  or  whether  1  had  time  to 
write.  In  the  month  of  April,  the  scenes  of  the  revival,  the 
prospect  of  our  next  missionary  subscription,  the  falling  off 
of  the  missionary  receipts,  all  combined  to  give  me  an  un- 
usual current  of  emotions  in  view  of  certain  subjects,  I  was 
preparing  a  connected  series  of  topics  to  present  to  the 
school,  the  substance  of  which  you  will  find,  to  some  extent, 
in  the  first  three  and  last  two  chapters.  I  had  just  com- 
menced before  the  monthly  concert  in  May,  to  which  refer- 
ence is  made.  After  reading  the  affecting  circular,  which  I 
lieard  with  deepest  interest,  in  behalf  of  all  our  school,  who 
were  present  as  well  as  myself,  Mr.  Condit  invited  a  young 
minister,  just  commencing  preaching,  to  make  some  remarks. 
To  Mr.  Condit's  disappointment,  and  to  my  distress,  mstead 
of  following  out  the  subject,  he  just  attempted  to  make  some 
strictures  on  our  missionary  operations,  alluding  to  slavery, 


352  THE    VICTORY   GAINED   AND    SECTTEED. 

• 

and  speaking  of  the  want  of  economy  at  some  of  our  stations. 
The  defect  of  the  young  man  was  more  in  the  head  than  the 
heart.  All  agreed  that  his  remarks  were,  at  least,  ill-timed. 
But,  among  other  results,  they  gave  existence  to  the  little 
book.  It  was  scarcely  two  days  before  most  of  the  materials 
were  gathered  together.  They  soon  assumed  a  visible  and 
tangible  form,  merely  as  a  relief  to  the  internal  spirit.  Thus 
much  for  this  little  circumstance,  as  little  things  often 
interest  friends  more  than  greater  events." 

TO    MISS    FISKE. 

"  South   Hadlet,  January  15,   1846. 
'*  My  DEAR  Miss  Fiske  : 

"  This  morning,  before  I  went  into  the  hall.  Miss  Moore 
announced  that  Miss  Fiske's  little  box  would  be  closed  at 
the  9;^  bell.  Since  dinner,  I  heard  of  it,  and  was  invited 
to  look  at  the  contents.  I  did  not  really  think  it  was  finished, 
as  I  had  nothing  in  it.  For  want  of  something  better,  I  send 
you  a  handkerchief,  where  you  can  see  my  name. 

"  You  sympathize  in  all  the  things  which  are  passing 
among  us,  and  especially  those  events  which  relate  to  the 
missionary  cause.  I  know  that  some  of  your  kind  friends 
will  be  sure  to  tell  you  that  Miss  Moore  is  really  going.  It 
will  surprise  you,  as  it  has  many  here.  The  first  question 
generally  is,  '  What  does  Miss  Lyon  think  of  it .? '  I  have 
nothing  to  say  in  all  these  things,  only  to  ask  that  the  will  of 
the  Lord  may  be  done,  and  to  submit  to  all  the  dispensations 
of  Providence,  whether  with  means  or  without  means.  This 
is  certainly  a  great  event  to  us,  and  especially  to  me.  My 
only  wish  concerning  it  is,  that  it  may  be  for  the  furtherance 
of  the  gospel.  We  know  so  little  of  the  great  plans  of  God, 
that  it  is  wisest,  and  safest,  and  sweetest,  to  leave  all  with  him. 
*  Much  love  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Perkins." 


TO    MISS    FISKE    IN    PEESIA.  353 

TO    MISS    FISKE. 

"  South  Hadlet,  June  16,  1847. 
"  My  dear,  my  very  dear  Miss  Fiske  : 

"  How  I  should  love,  if  I  ever  did  such  a  thing,  to  write 
you  a  long  letter  !  I  would  not  try  to  repeat  the  many  passing 
events  which  I  hope  some  of  your  kind  friends  have  con- 
tinued to  tell  you.  Nor  would  I  tell  you  any  new  truth,  nor 
any  new  duty,  nor  any  new  promise,  nor  any  new  encour- 
agement, to  labor  and  suffer  for  Christ's  sake.  I  would  not 
attempt  to  point  out  to  you  any  new  resting-place  for  the  feet 
of  weary  pilgrims  on  their  way  to  the  celestial  city.  No , 
I  would  only  repeat,  if  I  could,  a  few  of  the  many  and 
precious  things  which  you  already  know,  and  on  which  your 
heart  now  delights  to  dwell.  I  would  only,  if  I  could,  while 
I  am  in  this  tabernacle,  now  and  then  write  you  a  few  words, 
stirring  you  up  by  way  of  remembrance.  I  would  have  you 
after  my  decease,  also,  have  these  things  always  in  remem- 
brance. 

"  How  I  should  love  to  tell  you  how  a  kind  Providence 
has  led  me  along  ever  since  last  we  met,  and  last  parted, — 
how  one  comfort  has  been  taken  away,  and  another  granted, 
—  how  good,  very  good,  God  has  been  to  us,  and  how  the 
promise,  '  As  thy  days,  so  shall  thy  strength  be,'  has  never 
failed!     .... 

[Here  follow  some  paragraphs  which  Miss  L.  herself  calls 
"  confidential.''''     They  refer  mostly  to  Miss  Rice's  leaving.] 

"  Finally,  I  should  love  to  tell  you  how  my  heart  goes  with 
her,  (Miss  Rice,)  as  I  seem  to  send  her  forth  as  one  of  my 
own  children,  —  how  I  now  commend  her  to  you,  —  to  your 
acquaintance,  —  to  your  love,  —  to  your  sympathy,  —  to  your 
prayers,  —  to  a  participation  in  all  your  labors,  your  joys 
and  your  sorrows !  .  .  .  .  May  you  both  live  long,  together 
be  abundant  in  labors,  earnest  in  prayer,  and  rich  in  faith, 
and  at  last  may  you  receive  a  crown  of  glory,  which  shall 
never  fade  away. 

30* 


354  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECXJKED. 

"  My  very  affectionate  regards  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Perkins. 
Many  thanks  for  what  he  has  written  me  in  days  that  are 
past.  Will  he  not  write  me  again  ?  Ask  him  to  be  a  father 
to  another  of  my  daughters." 

TO    MISS    FISKE. 

"  My  DEAR  Miss  Fiske  : 

"  I  cannot  let  the  journal  go  without  a  line  of  sympathy 
for  yourself  individually.  In  the  trials  by  persecution  you 
have  been  passing  through,  you  have  had  my  deepest  sym- 
pathy, as  well  as  that  of  hundreds  and  thousands  of  other 
hearts.  But  you  have  had  other  afflictions  making  their 
pathway  into  your  hearts.  In  these  you  have  had  my  sym- 
pathy. I  have  wept  with  you,  over  dear,  dear  Mrs.  Stod- 
dard. I  can  think  how  you  loved  her,  and  how  precious  is 
love  in  your  far  distant  home.  I  can  imagine  the  many 
things,  in  your  peculiar  position,  which  make  a  warm  heart, 
a  kindred  spirit,  and  a  sympathizing  soul,  (not  so  much  for 
yourself  as  for  your  work,)  a  sister,  and  more  than  a  sister. 
Such  was  dear  Mrs.  Stoddard." 

(The  above  had  no  date,  but  must  have  been  written  in 
January,  '49.  I  did  not  receive  it  till  after  Miss  L.'s  death. 
^F.  Fiske.) 

MISS    RICE    TO    MISS    "WHITMAN. 

"  OoEOOMiAH,  November  24,  1849. 
"  My  VERY  DEAR  MiSS  WHITMAN  : 

"  I  have  been  looking  over  a  package  of  our  beloved  Miss 
Lyon's  letters  this  afternoon,  and  deep  and  tender  emotions 
have  been  awakened. 

"  They  almost  all  relate  to  the  subject  of  my  going  to 
Persia  ;  but  they  have  so  much  that  is  of  a  personal  character 
in  them,  that  I  have  copied  none  of  them.  I  send  the  copy  of 
a  note,  which  I  received  while  in  Erzeroom,  on  my  way  to  O. 

"  Endearing  and  touching  recollections  of  the  past  have 


TO    THE    MISSIONARY    BAUGHTER.  355 

been  awakened,  and  I  rejoice  that  it  was  my  privilege  to 
enjoy  the  instructions  and  counsels  of  the  now  sainted  one 
"Though  dead,  she  yet  speaks  to  my  heart,  urging  me  to 
labor  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  and  honor  the  Master,  who 
has  called  me  to  this  part  of  the  vineyard. 

"  I  rejoice  to  know  that  you  are  appointed  her  successor 
in  the  belo\sed  seminary,  and  that  dear  Miss  Hazen  may 
share  your  labors.  May  the  mantle  of  the  departed  fall 
upon  you ;  may  your  strength  ever  be  equal  to  your 
day  ;  may  divine  wisdom  teach  you,  and  may  Jesus  make  all 
grace  abound  towards  you. 

"  We  will  not  cease  to  pray  for  you,  and  we  will  not  cease 
to  love  our  Holyoke  home.  O,  give  us  your  prayers  ;  for 
the  blessings  that  prayer  brings  are  those  we  most  need." 

MISS    LYON    TO    MISS    RICE. 

"  South  Had  ley,  June  17,  1847. 
"  My  dear  Miss  Rice  :  — 

"  When  Miss  Fiske  shall  hand  you  this  little  note,  you  will 
be  far,  far  away.  Kind  Providence  preserving  your  life,  I 
trust  this  will  find  you  in  your  new,  your  chosen,  your 
adopted  home. 

"  Your  eyes  there  will  look  on  the  same  glorious  sun,  the 
same  beautiful  moon,  and  the  same  sparkling  stars  that  ours 
do  in  your  own  native  land.  Will  it  not  be  pleasant,  when 
you  are  removed  from  all  which  once  met  your  eyes,  to  look 
up  to  the  heavens,  and  think  that  the  eyes  of  your  father  and 
your  mother  may  be  looking  at  the  same  things  ?  But  nearer 
than  this  can  we  come  together,  when  we  approach  the 
mercy  seat.  You  will  be  no  farther  from  that  precious 
place  of  resort,  no  farther  from  your  God,  no  farther  from 
your  last  and  best  home  in  heaven.  My  dear,  dear  friend, 
be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  thou  shalt  have  a  crown  of 
life." 


356  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

TO    HON.    DANIEL    SAFFORD. 

'•  South  Hadley,  December  3,  1846. 

"  My  health  is  much  better.  I  can  now  ride,  and  I  am 
taking  this  tonic  every  pleasant  day  with  great  advantage. 
Let  me  know  how  dear  Mrs.  Safford  is  when  you  write. 
When  shall  I  set  my  eyes  on  your  faces  again  ?  Perhaps 
you  know  that  cousin  Lucy  Lyon  (now  Mrs.  Lord)  is  going 
to  China  on  a  mission  under  the  Baptist  board.  She  and  her 
husband  are  now  here,  making  us  their  last  visit.  They  sail 
from  New  York  some  time  this  month.  If  my  health  im- 
proves, I  may  go  and  be  with  them  at  the  time  they  sail. 
Perhaps  you  will  ask  why  I  do  not  sit  for  my  portrait.  I 
have  thought  of  it,  but  think  I  cannot  at  this  time. 

"  How  afflicting  is  the  providence  which  has  taken  away  one 
of  our  secretaries  of  the  Board  of  Missions !  But  my  mind 
dwells  much  on  his  sudden  transition  to  his  eternal  home.  How 
must  that  world  of  glory  have  burst  on  his  astonished  vision  ! 
But  we  are  left  to  mourn.  Yet  let  us  remember  that  it  is  no 
accident  which  has  taken  him  away.  It  is  a  stroke  of  the 
divine  hand,  planned,  directed,  and  executed  by  infinite 
wisdom  and  infinite  goodness.  May  we  not  yet  see,  and 
may  he  not  even  now  see,  how  it  comes  in  to  forward  the 
great  work  of  saving  a  lost  and  dying  world  .''  What  a  place 
does  Christ  occupy  as  an  atoning  sacrifice  in  all  the  great 
things  of  divine  Providence!  W'hat  a  book  is  there  yet  to 
be  opened  and  read  in  the  glorious  doctrine  of  the  atone 
ment ! " 

TO    MRS.    SAFFORD. 

"South  IIadlet,  June  30,  1848. 
"  I  thank  you  for  remembering  me  at  the  time  of  the 
meeting  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions.  Miss  Whitman 
and  myself  will  be  very  glad  to  accept  of  the  favor.  I  hope 
there  will  be  a  spirit  of  prayer  in  behalf  of  that  meeting. 
The   associations   connected  with   meetings   in   Boston  are 


DR.  Perkins's  estimate.  337 

to  me  very  interesting.  It  seems  like  a  happy,  united 
family  circle  gathering  around  the  paternal  board.  They 
went  out  by  themselves,  but  they  return  bringing  with  them 
the  children  whom  God  has  given  them.  How  few  of  us 
will  live  to  see  another  such  family  gathering  in  behalf  of 
missions  in  Boston  !  I  hope  that  the  good  people  in  Boston, 
who  are  favored  with  so  many  rich  feasts,  will  have  a  spirit- 
ual blessing  on  this  occasion.  Do  you  not  think  that  the 
repetition  of  such  things  has  just  the  opposite  effect  on  dif- 
ferent minds  }  To  some,  they  weary,  or  become  insipid,  or 
too  common  to  have  interest.  To  others,  the  more  common, 
the  more  precious ;  the  more  frequent  the  repetition,  the 
more  refreshing  is  the  spiritual  feast.  Just  like  the  face  of 
nature,  unseen  by  some  eyes  because  so  common ;  but  to 
others,  rising  every  morning  with  new  freshness,  with  more 
of  beauty,  and  more  of  God." 

The  following  is  Dr.  J.  Perkins's  estimate  of  Miss  Lyon's 
missionary  character :  — 

TO    MISS    MARY   C.   WHITMAN,  PRINCIPAL    OF    MOUNT    HOLYOKE 

SEMINARY. 

"OoROOMiAir,  December  18,  1849. 
"  Dear  Madam  : 

"  I  feel  a  deep  interest,  as  thousands  must,  in  the  contem- 
plated memoir  of  one  whose  memory  is  so  fragrant,  whose 
name  is  so  widely  and  sacredly  cherished,  whose  labors  of 
love  were  so  herculean,  and  whose  influence,  past  and  pro- 
spective, is  so  unmeasurable  as  that  of  our  long  revered  and 
now  sainted  friend.  It  is  a  very  responsible  trust  to  become 
the  almoner  to  the  churches  and  the  world  of  so  precious  a 
legacy  as  the  biography  of  Mary  Lyon. 

"  We  have  all  been  deeply  interested  in  the  notices  of  our 
departed  friend  which  have  appeared  in  the  public  prints. 
Yet  in  every  one  that  I  have  read  I  have  felt  a  painful 
disappointment,  not  so  much  in  the  want  of  fulness  in  regard 


358  THE    VICTORY   GAINED   AND    SECUKED. 

to  the  parts  presented,  as  in  the  almost  entire  omission  of 
some  of  the  most  important  traits  of  her  remarkable  and 
most  estimable  character.  Almost  nothing  is  said  of  her  as 
a  religious  teacher,  or  of  the  many  precious  revivals  that 
have  occurred  under  her  influence.  The  most  extended  no- 
tice contains  not  one  word  in  regard  to  her  interest  and  efforts 
in  the  cause  of  foreign  missions,  nor  as  a  religious  instructor. 
Now,  were  these  cardinal  and  most  important  points  in  her 
life  and  character  to  be  overlooked  in  the  memoir,  or  to  be 
cast  into  the  shade  by  the  acknowledged  brightness  and 
grandeur  of  her  almost  matchless  career  as  a  mere  teacher, 
it  were  better,  in  my  opinion,  that  her  memoir  should  never  be 
written.  Would  not  the  results  of  those  precious  revivals 
in  so  many  scores  and  hundreds  of  living  plants  of  right- 
eousness, introduced  into  the  garden  of  God  by  her  honored 
instrumentality,  cry  out  against  such  injustice  to  her  mem- 
ory.? Would  not  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe,  blessed 
with  the  labors  and  influence  of  so  many  of  her  missionary 
daughters,  bearing  much  of  her  hallowed  impress,  raise  their 
united  remonstrance  ?  And  would  not  that  charming  and 
effective  little  volume,  the  '  Missionary  Offering,'  the  product 
of  her  overflowing  heart,  breathing  so  richly  the  spirit  of 
missions  and  of  heaven,  and  the  missionary  maps,  placed 
by  her  in  each  room  in  the  seminary,  to  say  nothing  of  her 
other  numberless,  nameless,  and  long-continued  efforts  in  the 
same  cause,  deepen  and  prolong  the  sad  note  of  disappoint- 
ment and  dissatisfaction  at  the  omission  supposed.?  These 
are  the  points  in  her  character  and  course  that  looked  most 
directly  to  eternity;  and  was  it  not  preeminently  for  eter- 
nity, rather  than  time,  that  Miss  Lyon  lived  and  toiled  } 

"  I  am  aware  that  it  is  probably  impossible  to  give  all  the' 
truth,  in  her  case,  through  the  medium  of  any  memoir.  Her 
full  record  is  on  high.  If,  however,  the  work  be  well  done, 
as  her  character  was  one  of  the  brightest  and  most  remark- 
able that  adorn  our  age,  or  any  age,  I  shall  confidently 


SAD   NEWS    TO    MANY    A    MISSIONARY.  359 

expect  that  her  biography  will  be  a  volume  of  corresponding 
interest  and  value,  through  which,  though  dead,  she  will 
effectually  speak  for  ages  to  come." 

The  following  extract  from  a  published  notice  of  Miss 
Lyon's  death,  by  Miss  H.  Lyman,  of  Montreal,  is  scarcely 
more  than  the  literal  truth  :  — 

"  Is  she  missed  ?  Scarcely  a  state  in  the  American  Union 
but  contains  those  she  trained.  Long  ere  this,  amid  the 
hunting-grounds  of  the  Sioux  and  the  villages  of  the  Chero- 
kees,  the  tear  of  the  missionary  has  wet  the  page  which  has 
told  of  Miss  Lyon's  departure.  The  Sandwich  Islander  will 
ask  why  is  his  white  teacher's  eye  dim,  as  she  reads  her 
American  letters.  The  swarthy  African  will  lament  with 
his  sorrowing  guide,  who  cries,  '  Help,  Lord,  for  the  godly 
ceaseth.'  The  cinnamon  groves  of  Ceylon  and  the  palm- 
trees  of  India  overshadow  her  early  deceased  missionary 
pupils,  while  those  left  to  bear  the  burden  and  heat  of  the 
day  will  wail  the  saint  whose  prayers  and  letters  they  so 
prized.  Among  the  Nestorians  of  Persia  and  at  the  base  of 
Mount  Olympus  will  her  name  be  breathed  softly,  as  the 
household  name  of  one  whom  God  hath  taken." 

EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  JOURNAL  KEPT  AT  THE  HOLYOKE 
SEMINARY. 

For  some  years  past,  it  has  been  customary  for  one  of  the 
teachers  to  keep  a  journal  of  the  more  interesting  events 
occurring  at  the  institution,  which  is  sent  to  the  foreign  mis- 
sionaries who  were  once  its  members.  Having  been  per- 
mitted to  look  over  that  journal  for  1846  and  1847,  I  am 
constrained  to  make  rather  copious  extracts.  They  relate  in 
a  great  measure,  however,  to  the  religious  interests  and 
events  of  the  seminary ;  and  I  value  the  descriptions  the 
more  because  the  writer  never  dreamt  of  their  meeting  the 
public  eye ;  and,  therefore,  she  wrote  in  an  unconstrained 


360  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

manner.  Up  to  May,  1818,  this  journal  was  kept  by  Mis3 
Susan  L.  Tolman,  at  which  lime  her  successor  in  this  work, 
Miss  Rebecca  Fiske,  remarks  that  Miss  Toh-nan  had  "  de- 
cided to  become  a  reader  rather  than  a  writer  of  the  Hol- 
yoke  journal  ;"  that  is,  she  had  become  herself  a  mission- 
ary to  Ceylon. 

"  October  3,  1846.  - —  To-day,  the  names  of  those  who  are 
professors  of  religion  and  those  who  are  not  were  taken. 
More  than  ninety,  nearly  half  of  our  family,  are  classed 
with  those  who  have  no  hope.  May  we,  as  a  band  of  teach- 
ers, be  faithful  to  these  precious  souls. 

"  October  10.  —  Miss  Lyon  is  taking  the  Book  of  Proverbs 
in  course  for  morning  devotions,  and  has  invited  all  to  read 
it  with  her.  She  does  not  appear  to  be  as  well  this  year  as 
last.  Her  extra  exertion  during  vacation  nearly  exhausted 
her.  An  infirmity  which  must  be  very  trying  has  recently 
fastened  itself  upon  her,  as  we  fear  permanently.  She 
has  become  so  deaf  that  it  is  difBcult  for  her  to  hear  ordi- 
nary conversation. 

"  October  14.  —  Our  weekly  religious  meetings  com- 
menced this  evening.  Miss  Lyon  met  with  the  Christians. 
She  spoke  of  her  deep  emotion  in  looking  upon  so  many 
professed  followers  of  Christ,  of  the  possibility  that  some 
might  be  deceived,  and  then,  in  her  own  earnest,  irresistible 
manner,  urged  upon  each  a  thorough  self-examination. 

'■'^  October  21.  —  We  must  again  speak  of  Miss  L^^on's 
faiUng  health.  She  has  taken  a  severe  cold,  which  has  set- 
tled upon  her  lungs.  It  is  with  difficulty  she  can  speak  for 
any  length  of  time. 

'■'■November  12.  —  To-day,  our  second  missionary  meet- 
ing was  held.  It  was  one  of  more  than  ordinary  interest. 
Letters  were  read  from  several  correspondents  on  missionary 
ground.  The  Nestorian  mission  was  dwelt  upon.  A  young 
lady  was  introduced  dressed  in  Persian  costume. 

'■'■December    1.  —  Rev.   Mr.   H.    conducted    our   morning 


A    REVIVAL    COMMENCING.  .  36] 

devotions  ;  we  hope  he  will  continue  to  do  so  until  Miss  Lyon 
is  able  to  meet  with  us. 

'^'■Decembers.  —  Miss  Lyon  is  so  far  recovered  that  she  came 
into  the  hall  this  afternoon,  and  talked  to  the  middle  class  about 
light  reading.  She  urged  them  to  lay  aside  entirely  every 
thing  that  could  be  classed  under-this  head.  If  they  had  any 
with  them,  she  wished  they  would  bum  it  —  send  it  home  — 
or  seal  it  up  and  put  it  in  the  bottom  of  their  trunks,  there  to 
remain  untouched. 

"  December  9.  —  To-day  Miss  Lyon  invited  to  her  room 
those  whose  hearts  were  moved  by  the  Spirit's  teachings. 
Nineteen  were  present  —  most  seemed  deeply  impressed. 
We  can  but  feel  that  God  is  in  our  midst.  Christians  are 
beginning  to  pray  more  earnestly.  Many  seem  prostrate  in 
the  dust  before  the  awful  presence  of  Him  who  searcheth 
the  secrets  of  every  soul. 

"  December  12.  —  Truly  this  has  been  a  day  of  blessing. 
Eight  are  now  expressing  a  hope  in  Christ.  The  interest  ap- 
pears to  be  deepening  and  extending  every  hour.  Thus  far, 
those  who  have  indulged  hope  have  been  principally  from  the 
middle  class.  In  fact,  the  interest  seemed  to  commence 
there  with  a  few  praying  hearts. 

"  December  14.  —  Still  the  mterest  is  increasing.  It  goes 
from  heart  to  heart  silently,  yet  powerfully.  The  whole  house 
is  as  still  as  on  the  Sabbath.  Every  footstep  is  light  —  every 
voice  is  hushed.  Several  have  asked  to  be  excused  from 
school  exercises,  so  intense  are  their  feelings.  Many  in  the 
senior  class  without  hope  begin  to  inquire  for  Him  who  is 
the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life. 

"  December  15.  —  There  are  now  more  than  twenty  who 
hope  they  have  found  a  Savior  precious  as  he  never  was 
before.  Five  of  the  number  are  from  the  senior  class.  Some 
of  the  most  careless  are  awakened,  and  anxiously  inquire, 
"  What  shall  I  do  to  be  saved  ?  " 

"  December  16.  —  To-day  is  recreation  day  ;  but  it  has 
31 


362  .      THE    VICTORY    GAINED    AND    SKCURED. 

seemed  more  like  the  Sabbath.  We  can  only  say,  God  is 
here.     There  is  scarcely  an  indifferent  one. 

"  December  18.  —  We  had  a  short  religious  exercise  in  the 
hall  this  afternoon.  Miss  Lyon's  word  to  us  was,  '  Say 
little  —  pray  much.'  This  evening,  thirty-one,  who  trust 
that  they  have  recently  consecrated  themselves  upon  the 
altar  of  their  God,  met  for  a  prayer-meeting.  May  the 
future  of  their  lives  prove  that  this  sacrifice  is  no  partial  one. 

"  Decemher  25.  —  We  have  had  sad  tidings  to-day.  Miss 
B.,  one  of  our  teachers,  who  went  home  a  few  weeks  ago  in 
feeble  health,  has  been  summoned  to  the  spirit  land.  Miss 
Lyon  mourns  deeply  her  early  removal.  She  had  antici- 
pated much  from  her.  But  with  her  sweet  submission,  she 
says,  '  I  feel  that  it  is  a  blessed  privilege  to  fit  dear  ones  for 
heaven.' 

"  Decemher  30.  —  The  Spirit  still  abides  with  us.  There 
have  been  signal  manifestations  of  God's  power  in  this  re- 
vival. '  Behold,  the  Lord  hath  passed  by  us,  not  in  the  great 
and  strong  wind,  not  in  the  earthquake,  not  in  the  fire,  but  in 
the  still  small  voice.' 

"■January  4,  1847. —=- Day  of  fasting  and  prayer  for  tlie 
conversion  of  the  world.  Miss  Lyon  met  the  whole  school 
in  the  hall.  After  some  general  remarks,  she  proceeded  to 
suggest  subjects  of  thought  and  prayer.  We  trust  prevailing 
prayer  has  ascended  here  to-day  from  many  hearts  —  for 
ourselves  —  for  you  —  for  our  country  —  for  a  dying  world. 

"  January  28.  —  Miss  Lyon  commenced  her  lectures  upon 
the  subject  of  missions  this  morning.  She  read  passages  of 
Scripture,  and  remarked  generally  upon  the  duty  of  Christian 
benevolence.  She  then  alluded  to  the  reward  to  be  expected 
in  consequence  of  denying  ourselves  for  Christ's  sake  :  she 
differed  from  some  who  say,  one  is  never  poorer  for  giving 
to  the  Lord.  '  If,'  said  she, '  they  mean  poorer  in  a  spiritual 
point  of  view,  I  agree  with  them,  but  not  when  they  say 
poorer  in  property ;  for  I  do  believe   the  Christian  ought  to 


MISSIONARY    INSTRUCTIONS,  363 

give  to  the  Lord,  so  as  really  to  feel  the  need  of  what  he 
gives  —  a  precious  reward  to  suffer  for  Christ.'  She  seemed, 
if  possible,  more  earnest  and  animated  than  ever.  O  that 
there  were  many  more  who  would,  in  like  manner,  present 
to  Christians  the  claims  resting  upon  them !  who  would,  at 
the  same  time,  be  themselves  examples  ! 

"  Our  teachers'  business  meeting  was  held  this  evening. 
Miss  Lyon  said  she  had  suffered  much  from  want  of  system- 
atic habits,  and  urged  it  upon  us  that  we  should  accustom 
ourselves  to  a  systematic  division  of  our  time  and  duties. 
She  knew  our  interruptions  were  many.  There  were  many 
little  duties  to  be  looked  after,  and  so  it  must  always  be  with 
ladies.  '  I  do  really  think,'  said  she,  in  her  humorous  way, 
'  that  it  requires  more  discipline  of  mind  to  be  a  lady,  than 
it  does  to  be  a  gentleman.  The  latter  has  little  of  the 
minutiae  of  every-day  life  to  attend  to.  He  can  rise  in  the 
morning  and  drive  into  his  business.  But  it  is  not  so  with 
the  latter,  nor  would  I  have  it  so.' 

"  February  2.  —  Miss  Lyon  has  continued  her  remarks 
upon  the  subject  of  missions  for  several  mornings.  We  will 
try  and  give  you  the  mere  outline.  Your  own  minds  can 
supply  the  rest,  better  than  our  poor  pen. 

"  First.  We  must  do  all  Christ  requires  of  us  ;  because  a 
reward  is  promised  to  him  who  gives  a  cup  of  cold  water : 
if  we  have  the  means  to  do  more,  we  must  not  think  it  suffi- 
cient to  do  this,  and  only  this.  Secondly.  We  must  feel  that 
we  are  as  unworthy  to  give  in  the  name  of  Christ  as  we  are 
to  receive.  Thirdly.  When  we  give  the  most  with  the  most 
self-denial,  then  do  we  most  deeply  feel  our  unworthiness. 
When  we  do  so  contribute  for  Christ's  sake,  then  are  we 
brought  into  a  blessed  sympathy  with  his  poverty  —  his  suffer- 
ings. '  O  wonderful,  wonderful,'  she  exclaimed,  '  this 
work  in  which  we  may  share  !  How  would  angels  delight 
to  have  a  part  in  it !  And  shall  we  hinder  it  by  unwilling- 
'ness  to  give  ? ' 


364  THE    VICTORY    GAINED    AND    SECURED. 

"  She  spoke  of  the  Bible  standard  of  benevolence.  Why 
should  we  adopt  this  standard  as  our  own  ?  Because  of  the 
infinite  value  of  souls  —  of  the  sacrifice  of  Christ  as  our  ex- 
annple  —  of  our  relations  to  each  other — of  the  unseen  cords 
that  bind  us  to  the  heathen  world  —  last,  though  not  least,  be- 
cause it  is  God's  appointed  means  for  the  conversion  of  the 
world. 

"  Among  other  things,  she  remarked,  '  I  am  so  thankful 
I  do  not  have  to  decide  where  my  mite  shall  go  :  I  do  com- 
passionate those  who  stand  at  the  helm  —  the  officers  of  our 
societies,  who  must  say  where  the  money  and  men  must  go  ; 
whose  cry  for  the  bread  and  water  of  life  shall  be  heard,  and 
whose  unheeded.' 

"  In  a  subsequent  lecture  she  said,  '  I  would  not  speak  to 
you  things  that  would  rouse  your  feelings  merely,  but  I  would 
awaken  your  consciences.  I  would  have  you  consider  this 
subject  of  an  enlarged  Christian  benevolence  in  its  bearings 
upon  you  through  life.  Take  the  Bible  standard  as  yours, 
and  cling  to  it  as  long  as  you  live.' 

"  Then  commencing  with  the  Jewish  economy,  that  great 
starting-point,  she  traced  downward,  through  the  several 
stages  of  revelation,  every  thing  that  bore  directly,  or  by 
inference,  upon  the  great  question  before  her. 

"  In  conclusion,  she  said  it  was  impossible  for  her  to  tell 
what  duty  required  of  any  one.  The  Spirit  alone  cotild  direct 
individuals.  She  only  asked  that  we  would  pray  over  it,  and 
decide  as  the  Spirit  should  direct. 

'■'February  13,  —  Miss  Lyon  spoke  to  the  young  ladies 
upon  the  formation  of  correct  habits.  '  I  want  you,  young 
ladies,'  said  she,  '  to  form  good  habits.  You  have  no  time  or 
strength  to  spare  in  overcoming  bad  ones.' 

'•'■  Felruary  15. — At  our  morning  exercises,  Miss  Lyon 
addressed  those  who  have  no  hope  of  heaven,  no  place  to 
lay  up  their  treasure.  She  said  she  had  thought  much  of  the 
passage,  '  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you.'     '  Yes,  there  are 


MISCELLANEOUS    TOPICS.  365 

many,  many  mansions,  but  to  some  of  you  none  of  them 
belong.  This  work  of  salvation  is  an  individual  work. 
Each  must  do  it  for  herself.  No  friend  can  enter  the  strait 
gate  for  you.  You  must  not  only  leave  all  behind,  but  enter 
willing  to  follow  Christ  wherever  he  may  lead.  "  If  thy 
right  hand  offend  thee,  cut  it  off;  if  thy  right  eye  offend  thee, 
pluck  it  out." ' 

"  March  11.  — At  our  morning  exercises.  Miss  Lyon  has 
commenced  the  character  of  Christ,  under  the  several  titles 
applied  to  him  in  Scripture.  This  morning  she  remarked 
upon  the  passage,  '  I  am  the  bread  of  life.' 

"  March  18.  —  Our  spring  examinations  are  closed.  They 
were  interesting  and  well  sustained.  To-morrow  evening  we 
are  to  have  a  social  party.  About  fifty  are  invited  from 
town.  A  few  of  Miss  Lyon's  friends  from  abroad  are  here. 
These  with  our  own  family  will  make  quite  a  gathering. 

"  March  19.  —  Our  invited  guests  and  young  ladies  assem- 
bled in  the  parlors  about  seven  o'clock  this  evening,  where  we 
had  a  pleasant,  social  time.  About  nine  o'clock  we  repaired 
to  the  seminary  hall,  where  we  had  calisthenics,  music,  and 
refreshments.  Miss  Lyon  appeared  to  enjoy  the  evening 
exceedingly. 

"  March  30.  —  Our  missionary  contributions  were  re- 
ported to-day.  Whole  amount,  (first  contribution  of  the 
year,)  $649.50. 

"  May  19.  —  Within  a  short  time  letters  have  been  re- 
ceived from  correspondents  in  Persia,  India,  China,  Sand- 
wich Islands,  and  the  far  west ;  all  of  them  full  of  glad 
tidings.  Could  you  but  witness,  dear  sisters,  how  much  in- 
terest these  journals  of  yours  add  to  our  missionary  meetings, 
you  would  feel  yourselves  richly  rewarded  for  all  the  labor 
they  cost  you. 

"  June  18.  —  In  our  teachers'  prayer-meeting  this  evening. 

Miss  Lyon  spoke  of  a  little  note  received  from  Mrs.  B.     She 

proposed  we  should  mention  the  names  of  those  who  have 
11  * 

u  .1 


366  THE    VICTORY    GAINED    AND    SECURED. 

been  connected  with  us,  and  are  now  on  missionary  ground. 
We  each  mentioned  one  or  more  of  them,  until  all  your 
names  were  repeated.  We  then  united  in  prayer  in  your 
behalf.  Miss  Lyon  led.  In  speaking  of  you  afterwards, 
she  said,  '  Let  us  each  be  faithful,  and  we  may  be  but  a  step 
behind  them  in  heaven.'  If  any  one  has  a  bright  crown 
there,  it  will  be  our  dear  Miss  Lyon.  Numbers  in  heathen 
lands  will  rise  up  and  call  her  blessed. 

'■'June  22.  —  This  afternoon,  as  well  as  every  Friday 
afternoon.  Miss  Lyon  claims  as  hers  to  address  the  young- 
ladies  upon  general  themes.  Her  subject  the  last  time  was, 
simplicity  in  dress.  She  spoke  of  different  fashions,  and 
advised  that  all  who  would  dress  simple  and  in  good  taste 
should  avoid  extremes.  She  was  very  animated  and  inter- 
esting. '  Why,  young  ladies,'  said  she,  '  what  would  you 
think  to  see  a  gentleman  dressed  in  low  neck  and  short 
sleeves  ? '  This  afternoon,  her  subject  was,  true  polite- 
ness. '  True  politeness,'  said  she,  '  consists  more  in  avoid- 
ing than  in  doing  many  things.'  She  dwelt  particularly  upon 
respect  due  to  the  aged. 

'■'■June  29.  —  The  subject  of  Miss  Lyon's  remarks  this 
afternoon  was  conversation.  She  dwelt  upon  the  importance 
of  being  able  to  converse  with  ease  and  propriety ;  mentioned 
some  things  to  be  observed,  and  some  others  to  be  avoided. 
'  Always  be  observing,'  she  remarked,  '  and  you  will  always 
have  something  to  say  worth  the  saying.' 

"J"hZ«/ 23.  —  In  the  morning  Miss  Lyon  said  she  addressed 
many  who  were  soon  to  go  out  as  teachers,  and  she  did 
ardently  desire  that  they  might  carry  with  them  much  of  the 
spirit  of  Christ.  '  To  have  such  a  spirit,'  said  she,  '  you  must 
have  clear  views  of  the  plan  of  salvation,  of  the  worth  of 
souls ;  must  know  when  to  speak  and  when  to  forbear.' 

"  August  5.  —  The  scenes  of  our  present  school  year 
have  to-day  closed.  The  anniversary  occasion  was  one  of 
more  than  ordinary  interest.     Nearly    forty    of  the   senior 


TRESKRVATION    OF    HEALTH.  3G7 

class  of  1841  and  1845  met  here  by  class  appointment  and 
invitation  from  Miss  Lyon.  She  was  delighted  to  see  to- 
gether so  many  of  her  former  pupils.  After  we  returned 
from  public  exercises  in  church,  she  stood  in  her  accus- 
tomed place,  and  gave  us  a  few  parting  words  as  a  school. 
A  large  number  of  the  young  ladies'  friends  from  abroad 
passed  the  evening  with  us.  Early  to-morrow  morning  our 
happy  family  will  be  scattered,  no  more  to  be  united. 

'■'■September  29.  —  Our  school  met  to-day  for  the  first 
time.  A  very  large  number  present.  Miss  Lyon's  subject 
of  remark  to  them  was,  regard  to  absent  or  deceased  friends. 
She  addressed  in  her  own  peculiar  manner  the  stranger  ones 
who  have  come  among  us.  There  were  many  tearful  eyes. 
The  examination  of  our  new  candidates  is  progressing 
rapidly. 

'^'^  October  5.  —  Miss  Lyon  regrets  very  much  that  our 
number  is  so  full  this  year.  There  are  at  least  two  hundred 
and  fifty.  She  has  done  all  she  could  to  avoid  it.  She  had 
more  than  five  hundred  applicants. 

"  October  12.  —  Examinations  are  nearly  finished.  Six 
left  this  forenoon,  because  they  found  themselves  unpre- 
pared. Miss  Lyon's  health  is  improving  daily.  Her  soul 
is  full  of  benevolence.  At  the  close  of  teachers'  meeting 
to-nighl  she  said,  '  Let  us  each  be  faithful  to  our  precious 
charge.  How  many  parents'  hearts  are  beating  with  anxious 
hope  I     It  is  a  privilege  to  labor  for  them.' 

"  December  14.  —  At  our  family  meeting  this  afternoon 
Miss  Lyon  made  some  remarks  upon  the  duty  of  preserving 
health.  The  theme  was  suggested  by  one  of  the  notes  of 
criticism,  '  wearing  thin  shoes  and  cotton  hose.'  She  spoke 
of  the  inclemency  of  a  New  England  climate  in  comparison 
with  that  under  a  more  genial  sky,  and  of  the  necessity  of 
additional  clothing.  She  then  told  them  that  when  they  be- 
came members  of  this  school  it  was  expected  they  would 
have   maturity  of  character  and  moral  principle  enough  to 


368  THE    VICTORY    GAINED    AND    SECURED. 

do  what  was  right  without  a  formal  command.  If  they  had 
not,  they  had  better  by  all  means  go  to  a  smaller  school  for 
younger  persons,  where  they  could  receive  the  peculiar  care 
needed  by  little  girls.  As  she  pursued  the  subject,  her  vi- 
vacity increased,  and  she  said,  '  There  are  two  things,  young 
ladies,  that  we  expressly  say  you  must  not  do.  One  is,  that 
you  must  not  violate  the  fire  laws,  (alluding  to  several  regu- 
lations of  the  family  in  regard  to  fire ;)  the  other  is,  that  you 
must  not  kill  yourselves.  If  you  will  persist  in  killing  your- 
selves by  reckless  exposure,  we  are  not  willing  to  take  the 
responsibility  of  the  act.  We  think  by  all  means  you 
had  better  go  home  and  die  in  the  arms  of  your  dear 
mothers.'  She  said  such  exposures  were  a  direct  violation 
of  two  commands  of  God  —  'Thou  shall  not  kill'  and 
'  Thou  shalt  not  steal  ; '  for  a  violation  of  the  first  involved 
a  violation  of  the  second,  as  by  it  they  robbed  the  world  of 
the  good  they  ought  to  do. 

"  December  16.  —  For  a  few  mornings  past,  at  devotions, 
Miss  Lyon  has  been  dwelling  upon  the  great  doctrines  of  the 
Bible  —  total  depravity,  nature  of  sin,  &c.  Then  she  took 
up  the  commandments  in  their  order.  This  morning,  she 
commenced  upon  the  connection  between  the  law  and  the 
gospel.     There  has  been  fixed  attention. 

"  January  3,  1848.  —  The  fast  for  the  conversion  of  the 
world  has  been  observed  by  nearly  all  our  family.  Miss 
Lyon  suggested  many  subjects  for  prayer,  said  much  to  re- 
vive the  drooping,  dormant  graces  of  professed  disciples, 
and  made  a  touching  appeal  to  the  prayerless  ones.  A  deep 
and  general  interest  upon  religious  subjects  seems  to  pervade 
the  minds  of  most  of  our  young  ladies. 

"  January  20.  —  We  have  received  rich  spiritual  bless- 
ings during  the  closing  weeks  of  this  term.  A  large  num- 
bei*  are  rejoicing  in  the  assurance  of  hope.  The  general 
features  of  the  revival  are  of  much  the  same  character  as 
last  year. 


CHRISTIAN    CHAHITY.  369 

"  March  30.  —  Miss  Lyon  commenced  remarks  this  fore- 
noon upon  sacred  charity ;  said  the  highest  form  of  charity 
is  that  which  goes  out  of  ourselves.  In  conclusion,  she  ex- 
pressed the  hope  that  we  should  all  have  our  hearts  drawn 
out  on  this  subject,  that  Christians  may  take  a  higher  stand, 
and  Christless  ones  give  themselves  unto  the  Lord. 

"  March  31.  —  Miss  Lyon  continued  her  remarks  this 
forenoon  by  saying  there  were  certain  great  principles  that 
she  should  often  repeat ;  among  them  these  :  all  things 
planned  by  God  ;  sacred  charity  a  divine  appointment ;  won- 
derful though  it  is,  the  design  of  it  the  benefit  of  the  giver 
as  well  as  the  receiver.  She  dwelt  upon  the  thought  that 
sacred  charity  is  a  pledge  of  personal  consecration,  a  test 
to  one's  self  of  a  willingness  to  give  up  all  for  Christ. 

"  April  7.  —  Miss  Lyon  this  forenoon  dwelt  in  a  most 
touching  manner  upon  the  great  principle  that  Christian 
charity  may  be  so  practised  and  illustrated  as  to  make  us 
feel  what  a  price  was  paid  for  our  redemption.  She  noticed 
expressions  of  Scripture  like  this  :  '  Ye  are  bought  with  a 
price,'  &c.  '  Always,'  she  added,  '  remember  this  when 
you  put  your  hand  to  this  work.' 

"  April  13.  —  I  wish  it  were  in  my  power  to  convey  to 
you  all  the  precious  thoughts  Miss  Lyon  has  given  us  upon  the 
subject  of  Christian  charity.  Though  she  has  dwelt  so  many 
years  upon  this  theme,  there  is  nothing  tedious  through  rep- 
etition. She  leads  us  not  in  the  same  beaten  track  of 
thought.  Every  year  brings  out  some  new  thing  from  the 
rich  treasury  of  her  full  soul.  In  her  remarks  this  forenoon 
she  said  the  telegraphic  wires  had  been  established  between 
us  and  the  heathen  ;  if  we  do  not  now  send  them  the  gospel 
they  must  perish. 

"  May  17.  —  The  teachers'  several  duties  have  been 
arranged.  Dear  Miss  Lyon's  duties  who  can  describe  ?  All 
things  which  belong  to  no  one  else  are  hers.  And  this 
amount  is  no  small  fraction  of  the  whole. 


870  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

"  Miss  L.  remarked  to  the  young  ladies  this  afternoon  on 
the  importance  of  keeping  in  view  the  good  of  the  institu- 
tion in  all  they  do.  '  You  have  all,'  she  said,  '  embarked 
in  this  ship,  and,  if  the  ship  sinks,  must  sink  with  jit.'  She 
warned  them  against  imitating  the  man  who  refused  to  take 
his  turn  at  the  pump  to  save  the  vessel,  with  the  excuse,  that 
he  had  paid  his  passage,  and  saw  no  reason  why  he  should 
do  more. 

"  May  24,  —  Death  has  entered  our  family,  and  removed 
one  lovely  by  nature  and  still  more  so  by  grace.  She  was 
all  ready  for  the  coming  of  her  Savior.  She  said  it  was 
enough  for  her  '  to  have  some  little  corner  in  heaven.'  In 
connection  with  this  event  Miss  Lyon  dwelt  upon  the  great 
salvation.  She  spoke  of  the  difficulty  she  had  always  had 
in  communicating  any  just  views  upon  this  subject.  In  her 
heart  she  had  often  been  ready  to  exclaim,  '  O  that  God 
would  speak !  And  now,'  she  said,  '  God  had  spoken  to  us.' 
She  felt  it  was  not  so  much  a  voice  of  warning  as  an  invita- 
tion ;  not  a  voice  from  the  tomb,  but  a  voice  from  heaven. 
God  had  given  us  an  impressive  lesson  on  his  great  salva- 
tion ;  and  she  entreated  that  we  should  give  heed  to  the 
things  we  have  heard,  '  lest  at  any  time  we  should  let 
them  slip.' 

"  May  30.  —  This  afternoon  Miss  Lyon  gave  us  the  last 
chapter  upon  a  subject  which  she  commenced  some  time 
before.  She  dwelt  upon  the  importance  of  ladies'  striving 
to  acquire  system,  stability,  and  energy ;  urged  all  to  follow 
judgment  rather  than  impulse;  said,  of  all  the  leading-strings 
they  would  find  in  the  world,  the  last  for  them  to  follow 
should  be  fancy. 

"  July  4.  —  In  the  hall,  this  afternoon,  Miss  Lyon  amused 
js  with  some  of  her  most  playful  remarks.  Miss  W.  had 
heard  that  the  village  lads  were  going  to  have  fireworks  this 
evening,  and  thought  it  not  well  that  our  family  should  lose 
their  sleep  to  witness  the  display.     So  she  remarked  upon 


LETTER   TO    MISSIONAKIES.  371 

the  probable  splendor  of  the  scene  with  such  mock  sublim- 
ity as  to  quell  every  vestige  of  excitement,  had  there  been 
any.  She  then  gave  all  the  remarkable  permission  to  look 
out  of  their  own  windows,  though  not  to  leave  their  rooms. 
Miss  Lyon  added  her  contribution  of  merry  words,  and  all 
joined  in  a  hearty  laugh, 

'•'■July  11.  —  Our  missionary  subscription  is  completed, 
and  the  amount  has  been  stated  to  the  school.  Whole 
amount  given  to  foreign  missions,  $646'79 ;  home  missions, 
$361-00.     Whole  amount,  $1007-79. 

"  August  29.  — You  will  ask,  '  Where  is  Miss  Lyon  dur- 
ing the  long  vacation  ?  Is  she  also  enjoying  rest  ? '  We 
would  we  could  say  she  is.  But  she  is  in  South  Hadley. 
Much  does  her  spirit  long  for  rest,  and  much  does  she  need 
it.  We  fear  for  the  next  year.  Yet  I  would  trust  and  re- 
member that  '  our  Father  is  at  the  helm.'  We,  doubting, 
often  ask,  '  If  she  falls,  who  shall  take  her  place .'' '  We 
often  fear  she  may  fail.  Powers  of  mind  and  body  so  hardly 
tasked  cannot  always  last.  We  fall  back  on  the  assurance, 
God  will  provide." 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  a  letter  addressed  by  Miss 
Lyon  to  her  pupils  now  on  heathen  ground  :  — 

«  September  1,  1848. 
"  My  dear  Missionary  Daughters  : 

"  The  journal  which  you  have  received  through  Miss  W.'s 
instrumentality,  and  so  long  by  dear  Miss  T.'s  pen,  who  is 
now  to  be  one  of  your  number,  has  been  a  gratification  to 
me.  I  have  enjoyed  the  thought  that  you  would  thus  keep 
along  with  the  little  occurrences  at  your  Holyoke  home. 
Often  have  I  desired  to  beg  the  privilege  of  inserting  a  little 
note,  with  the  salutation  of  mine  own  hand.  But  commu- 
nion like  this,  even,  '  with  ink  and  pen,'  I  seldom  can  enjoy 
upon  earth.     But  there  is  one  place  of  meeting,  of  sweet 


372  THE    VICTORY   GAINED    AND    SECURED. 

communion  of  spirit,  when  absent  in  body.  There  I  love  to 
ask  our  heavenly  Father  to  bless  you  all,  to  bless  you  indi- 
vidually in  your  work,  to  bless  the  dear  companions  of 
your  missionary  joys  and  your  missionary  toils,  and  to 
bless,  too,  the  children  whom  God  has  given  you  in  the 
land  of  your  adoption.  But  there  is  another  and  better 
home  than  this.  There  I  trust  we  shall  all  meet,  and 
hold  such  communion  as  earth  has  never  known.  May 
you  all  have  grace  to  run  with  patience  the  race  set 
before  you,  looking  unto  Jesus  in  all  your  missionary 
course. 

"  As  you  will  learn.  Miss  W.  had  it  in  heart  to  keep  the 
jburnal  for  you  this  year  herself.  But  Providence  has  oth- 
erwise decided.  Her  health  will  not  allow  her  even  to  be 
an  observei:  of  the  events  at  your  former  happy  home.  I 
anticipated  much  pleasure  to  herself  in  writing,  and  to  you 
in  reading  from  the  pen  of  her  whom  you  all  know  and 
love.  To  supply  her  place  my  thoughts  have  rested  on 
Misses  H.  and  C.  as  being  those  whom  you  all  remember. 
They  have  consented  to  take  it. 

"  In  this  arrangement  I  am  very  happy,  as  you  will  feel 
more  the  link  of  friendship  than  if  coming  from  the  pen  of 
one  whom  you  have  never  seen.  With  some  of  you  they 
were  class-mates,  seat-mates,  or  room-mates.  With  others 
of  you  they  were  fellow-teachers,  striving  with  you  for  the 
upbuilding  of  Christ's  kingdom  in  this  little  miniature  of  a 
world.  You  will  feel  more  sure  of  their  personal  sympathy, 
because  while  writing  for  you  they  are  writing  also  for  a 
dear  brother  and  sister  far  off  in  India.  You  will  remember 
that  we  expect  from  you  a  return.  We  are  aware  of  the 
effort  this  must  cost  you  amid  all  your  other  cares  and  abun- 
dant labors.  But  we  trust  that  this  effort  will  not  be  in  vain, 
as  a  small  item  in  your  missionary  work.  While  I  am  writ- 
ing this,  I  am  forcibly  reminded  of  the  probability  that  one 
of  your  number  will  never  read  it  —  one  dear  to  my  heart, 


THANKSGIVING.  373 

my  only  sister's  own  daughter,  and  to  me  a  daughter  indeed, 
and  even  more  than  a  daughter.  Yes,  I  think  from  day 
to  day  of  dear  Mrs.  B.  as  now  in  heaven ;  though  it  is 
possible,  in  the  events  of  Providence,  that  her  life  is  spared. 
Mrs.  W.,  too,  another  of  our  missionary  band,  has  finished 
her  short  work,  and  gone  home  to  her  rest.  May  you  who 
still  live  work  while  the  day  lasts,  and  may  you  long  be 
spared,  and  may  you  yet  gather  in  many  sheaves  from  the 
opening  fields,  which  are  now  white  and  ready  for  the  har- 
vest. While  life  and  memory  are  spared  you  will  be  re- 
membered and  loved  by  me." 

"  October  25.  —  Miss  Lyon  bears  the  removal  of  her 
main  dependence,  Miss  W.,  with  cheerfulness,  trustfully 
looking  for  brighter  days  in  future.  She  hopes  this  year  to 
give  more  time  and  energy  to  the  literary  department  than 
she  has  usually  done. 

"  Octoher  30.  —  Knowing  what  you  do  of  our  family 
arrangements,  your  first  inquiry  will  be  with  regard  to  our 
spiritual  welfare.  About  one  hundred  of  our  pupils  are 
without  hope.  The  fixed  and  earnest  attention  of  this  class 
to  religious  instruction  is  evidence  to  us  that  the  Spirit  is 
hovering  around  us,  and  willing  to  bless  if  we  are  willing  to 
receive.  May  we  have  grace  given  us  to  sow  all  the  seed 
and  gather  all  the  fruit  our  heavenly  Father  would  have  us. 

'■'■  December  1.  —  Yesterday  was  our  annual  Thanksgiv- 
ing. All  the  teachers,  and  a  larger  number  than  usual  of 
the  young  ladies,  remained  with  us.  Invitations  were  ex- 
tended to  the  trustees.  Miss  Lyon  has  long  been  wishing  to 
enlarge  the  circle  of  those  in  town  to  whom  she  extends  invi- 
tations, and  she  took  this  opportunity  to  do  it.  Between  sev- 
enty and  eighty  were  invited.  The  young  ladies  interested 
themselves  much  in  preparing.  The  first  part  of  the  even- 
ing was  spent  very  socially  in  the  parlors.  Afterwards,  we 
had  entertainments  in  Seminary  Hall  as  usual. 
32 


374  THE    VICTORY   GAINED    AND    SECURED. 

"  December  6.  —  In  accordance  with  Miss  Lyon's  propo- 
sal, we  have  this  year  a  regular  missionaiy  society  formed. 
The  officers  are  a  president  and  secretary  ;  the  terms  of 
membership  are,  the  regular  attendance  upon  the  meetings  of 
the  society,  or,  if  detained,  the  rendering  of  a  written  note 
to  the  secretary  before  the  time  of  the  meeting.  Miss  Lyon 
was  chosen  president.  Her  duties  are  to  preside  in  the 
meetings,  appoint  the  times  of  the  meeting,  and  direct  as  to 
intelligence  brought  before  the  society.  She  is  most  faithful 
in  these  duties.  She  makes  it  her  object  to  bring  out  at 
each  meeting  something  of  profit  which  shall  be  remem- 
bered. 

"  December  14.  —  Miss  Lyon's  theme  for  remark  this 
afternoon  was  mutual  influence.  She  observed  that  she  had 
noticed  a  few  young  ladies  in. the  family  who  were  not  hav- 
ing the  most  desirable  influence  over  one  another,  and  re- 
marked that  she  should  probably  in  a  few  days  speak  to 
them  individually.  She  illustrated  her  subject  by  examples 
from  chemistry.  She  remarked  that  some  of  the  rankest 
poisons  were  made  by  the  union  of  the  most  valuable  and 
inoffensive  elements ;  as,  for  instance,  oxygen  and  nitrogen, 
whose  value  and  importance  were  so  well  known,  were  a 
constituent  in  nearly  all  of  them.  So,  many  young  ladies, 
who  were  harmless  oxygen  and  nitrogen  by  themselves, 
if  brought  together,  would  make  nicotine  or  strychnine. 

"  December  28.  —  A  box  of  curiosities  from  India  was 
forwarded  to  us  last  week.  Letters  were  received  from 
India,  China,  and  Persia. 

"  January  5,  1849.  —  There  has  been  a  good  deal  of  reli- 
gious interest  this  year ;  several  conversions,  though  not  so 
general  a  revival  as  last  year." 

Would  that  the  limits  of  this  work  allowed  more  extended 
extracts  from  this  journal  of  the  seminary  ;  for,  as  a  whole,  it 
does  give  such  an  insight  into  the  manner  in  which  this 
great  family  is  managed,  such  an  impression  of  the  happy 


MISCELLANEOUS  COKEESPONDENCE.         375 

influence  of  Christian  love  as  the  controlling  power,  and  of 
the  happiness  which  it  brings  to  all  who  yield  to  its  demands, 
as  cannot  but  excite  the  interest  and  admiration  of  every 
pious  heart.  Perhaps,  however,  I  ought  rather  to  apologize 
to  the  seminary  for  having  opened  to  the  public  eye  so  much 
of  their  domestic  life.  If  so,  my  apology  is,  that  the  inter-  i 
nal  operations  of  the  seminary  do  really  afford  one  of  the 
best  developments  of  Miss  Lyon's  character,  since  they  have 
been  nearly  all  contrived  and  arranged  by  her  judicious  and 
sagacious  mind. 

Before  closing  this  section,  I  shall  add  some  of  Miss 
Lyon's  correspondence  upon  several  subjects,  which  shows 
us  that  her  interest  was  not  confined  to  the  favorite  seminary, 
but  that  she  admitted  to  a  proper  share  of  her  regard  and 
attention  whatever  ought  to  interest  any  intelligent  Christian 
woman.  Many  such  letters  have  been  given  in  the  earlier 
parts  of  this  memoir  ;  but  the  following,  which  bear  date 
subsequent  to  the  opening  of  the  new  seminary,  show  that, 
amid  its  absorbing  cares  and  duties,  other  objects  did  not 
lose  their  interest.  And  yet  most  of  the  letters  have  refer- 
ence to  the  seminary. 

The  following  extracts  from  letters  of  two  of  her  nieces, 
who  have  themselves  been  distinguished  as  teachers,  and 
now  occupy  important  spheres  of  labor,  will  show  Miss 
Lyon's  interest  in,  and  efforts  for,  her  relatives  —  a  subject 
already  referred  to  more  than  once. 

FROM    MRS.    BEDORTHA. 

"Tkot,  N.  Y.,  February,  1850. 
"  I  remember  how,  from  early  childhood,  my  mother  used 
to  talk  of  sending  myself  and  sisters  to  aunt  Mary  Lyon's 
school.  This  idea  always  afforded  us  the  greatest  pleasure. 
She  trained  our  minds  and  manners  with  much  care  to  this 
end  while  we  were  but  little  girls,  and  lived  in  Ohio.  Yet 
we  were  of  sufficient  age  to  understand  enough  to  cause  us 


376  THE    VICTORY   GAINED   AND    SECUUED. 

greatly  to  wish  to  attend  aunt's  school.  She  used  to  have 
conversations  of  some  length  with  us  respecting  it,  urging 
us  to  efforts  of  improvement  to  prepare  us  for  that  school ; 
and  my  youngest  sister  (now  a  missionary  in  India)  has 
since  told  me  that  it  was  immediately  after  one  of  these  con- 
►versations  that,  being  sent  by  my  mother,  with  a  little  tin  pail 
in  her  hand,  to  a  rivulet,  a  few  yards  from  the  door,  to  bring 
some  water,  she  took  great  pains  to  take  every  step  very 
carefully  all  the  way  there  and  back  again,  so  that  she 
might  be  nice  enough  to  be  sent  to  aunt's  school  when  she 
should  be  of  sufficient  age.  Our  mother  continued  her 
efforts  to  obtain  this  object  till  the  way  was  prepared,  after 
many  hinderances ;  so  that  both  my  sisters  found  themselves 
at  Ipswich  Female  Seminary  under  the  immediate  instruc- 
tions of  my  dear  aunt  Mary,  where  their  highest  anticipa- 
tions were  fully  realized,  and  the  most  earnest  wish  of  their 
hearts  gratified.  With  her  direction  and  instruction  she 
enabled  them  to  complete  the  course  of  study,  and  appointed 
them  to  places  for  teaching,  till  the  missionary  feeling  which 
my  youngest  sister  had  long  possessed  ripened  under  such  a 
genial  influence,  and  she  sailed  as  a  missionary  to  India. 
Providence  directed  my  own  way  to  another  school,  where  I 
finished  a  course  of  study  similar  to  what  my  sisters  had 
gone  through.  Yet  I  could  not  feel  satisfied  till  I  had  been 
to  learn  what  I  could  from  the  experience  of  my  dear  aunt 
at  Holyoke.  Each  time  when  I  had  spent  a  season  there,  I 
went  away  feeling  that  I  had  reaped  a  rich  and  fresh  harvest 
of  important  information,  not  only  respecting  the  subject  of 
teaching,  but  of  useful  maxims  and  new  thoughts  relating  to 
the  best  manner  of  managing  the  practical  affairs  of  life  and 
the  most  excellent  methods  of  influencing  mind.  I  always 
felt  that  hers  was  an  intelligence  in  which  lay  a  rich  mine 
of  experience,  and  from  her  lips  came  the  best  of  wisdom 
in  things  pertaining  both  to  the  present  and  future  life.  I 
was  never  in  her  society  even  for  only  a  few  moments 


LETTER  FROM  MRS.  BURGESS.  377 

without  feeling  instructed  and  wiser  by  something  she  uttered. 
Her  influence  extended  to  all  her  relatives ;  her  example  and 
advice  quickened  them  often  in  the  paths  of  uprightness ; 
particularly  did  it  stimulate  her  nephews  and  nieces  to  efforts 
to  obtain  an  education.  In  her  school  she  educated  the 
daughters  of  two  of  her  sisters  and  the  daughters  of  her 
brother.  One  of  the  latter  is  now  a  missionary  in  China. 
Of  her  nephews,  a  part  have  taken  a  liberal  course  of 
study,  and  some  are  in  preparation  for  the  gospel  ministry. 
She  aided  the  children  of  her  brother  and  sisters  in  obtain- 
ing an  education,  not  only  by  her  counsel,  but  many  of  them 
by  small  sums  of  money,  to  make  a  beginning  in  their  edu- 
cation, and  afterwards  lending  them  larger  sums,  which  they 
were  to  pay  when  by  teaching  they  had  gained  it." 

FROM    MRS.    BURGESS,    (FORMERLY  MISS    MOORE,)    MISSIONARY 
IN    INDIA. 

"  Ahmednuggur,  April  13,  1850. 
"  Dr.  Hitchcock  : 

"  It  has  given  me  much  pleasure  to  learn  that  you  have 
undertaken  to  prepare  the  memoirs  of  my  dear  aunt.  You 
were  her  early  friend,  and  have  kept  up  your  acquaintance 
with  her  almost  uninterrupted,  so  that  you  are  perhaps  better 
able  than  any  one  else  to  describe  the  circumstances  which 
helped  to  form  her  character. 

"  There  was  one  way  her  ever-flowing  benevolence  man- 
ifested itself,  of  which  you  may  not  be  fully  aware.  I  refer 
to  the  pecuniary  aid  she  rendered  her  younger  relatives  to 
obtain  an  education.  This  aid,  if  of  much  amount,  was 
always  in  the  form  of  a  loan,  to  be  repaid  as  circumstances 
would  permit.  I  am  one  who  remember  with  many  emo- 
tions of  gratitude  her  timely  offer  of  assistance  when  I  was 
strongly  desiring  to  enjoy  higher  opportunities  for  mental 
improvement  than  could  be  possessed  in  an  academy  in  a 
western  village.     One  remark  in  the  letter  conveying  to  me 


378  THE    VICTORY   GAINED   AKD    SECURED. 

the  oifer  of  assistance  made  a  permanent  impression  on  my 
mind.  It  was,  her  expressed  hope  that  I  should  never  forget 
the  injunction  '  to  do  good  and  communicate ;  forget  not,  for 
with  such  sacrifice  God  is  well  pleased,'  I  feel  now,  with- 
out doubt,  the  influence  of  that  wish,  when  I  am  trying  to 
communicate  to  the  school  of  thirty  Hindoo  girls  under  my 
charge,  and  a  group  of  women  and  little  children  who  come 
more  or  less  under  my  influence,  the  truths  of  the  Bible. 
Many  of  her  younger  relatives  (who  generally  possessed 
more  of  a  desire  for  knowledge  than  the  means  of  obtaining 
it)  are  much  indebted  to  her  for  timely  assistance.  She 
did  very  much,  also,  to  inspire  love  of  knowledge  and  hope 
of  success  by  her  own  cheerful  temperament  and  looks  of 
encouragement. 

"  The  aid  she  rendered  was  mostly  in  the  form  of  a  loan  ; 
but  her  right  hand,  prompted  by  her  generous  heart,  often 
gave  when  her  left  hand  knew  it  not.  I  well  remember  the 
visit  of  a  young  nephew,  who  spent  a  part  of  a  college  vaca- 
tion with  her.  His  eyes  glistened  with  emotion  as  he  left 
her  room,  where  he  had  been  to  take  leave  of  her.  She 
had  slipped  into  his  hand  a  five  dollar  bill,  saying,  '  Take 
that  to  help  in  your  college  expenses  the  coming  term.' 

"  This  offer  of  pecuniary  assistance  was  not  by  any 
means  confined  to  her  relatives.  Many  young  ladies  with 
whom  she  became  acquainted  shared  largely  in  her  sympa- 
thies in  this  form.  But  of  that  I  need  not  speak  ;  it  was,  as 
you  well  know,  her  abounding  desire,  always,  in  every  way, 
to  do  good  to  others,  and  to  subserve  the  cause  of  her 
Master." 

The  following,  on  the  same  subject,  was  prepared  by 
Mrs.  Cowles,  but  thought  more  appropriate  for  this  place  in 
the  memoir. 

"  For  a  person  of  her  means,  Miss  Lyon  was  very  generous. 


LIBERALITY.  379 

When  Dr.  Packard,  of  Shelburne,  visited  Ipswich,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1834,  to  confer  with  her  and  a  few  of  her  friends 
as  to  the  incipient  steps  of  the  enterprise,  she  paid  his  trav- 
elling expenses,  and  never  repaid  herself  out  of  the  contin- 
gent fund  raised  soon  after.  In  the  following  October,  a 
wealthy  gentleman  was  engaged  in  establishing  a  female 
seminary  in  Bristol  county.  She  visited  him,  and  aided  him 
with  her  experience  in  devising  measures  for  its  prosperity. 
While  making  suggestions  as  to  the  ways  and  means  for 
promoting  his  object,  she  also  improved  the  opportunity  to 
sprea(kher  own  plans  before  him.  As  she  was  departing,  he 
placed  a  bank  note  in  her  hand,  doubtless  as  a  remuneration 
for  her  time  and  pains.  '  Thank  you,'  said  she  ;  '  this  will 
help  towards  the  thousand  dollars  we  are  trying  to  collect 
for  contingent  expenses ; '  and  to  that  purpose  it  was  faith- 
fully applied.  She  travelled  hundreds  of  miles,  between 
September,  1834,  and  November,  1837,  in  aid  of  her  object, 
always  at  her  own  expense.  The  old  rates  of  postage  then 
prevailed  ;  and  though  she  made  it  a  rule  never  to  tax  a  per- 
son of  whom  she  solicited  a  contribution  with  the  postage  on 
a  letter,  and  to  prepay  a  letter  whenever  she  had  any  doubt 
on  whom  the  postage  ought  to  fall,  the  funds  of  the  seminary 
were  never  drawn  upon  to  meet  any  part  af  the  expense  of 
her  large  correspondence.  She  engaged  a  person  to  assist, 
at  the  opening  of  the  school,  in  getting  the  domestic  depart- 
ment into  operation.  That  person,  finding  the  duties  more 
onerous  than  she  had  anticipated,  was  obliged  to  withdraw 
from  the  undertaking.  In  addition  to  her  stipulated  wages, 
which  were  paid  from  the  income  of  the  establishment.  Miss 
Lyon  bestowed  on  her  a  parting  gift,  nearly  equal  to  her 
wages,  as  some  compensation  for  her  disappointment.  To 
an  associate  teacher,  whom  she  loved,  and  who,  as  she 
thought,  had  made  pecuniary  sacrifices  for  the  good  of 
the  institution,  she  gave,  the  same  year,  thirty  dollars  as 
a  bridal  gift. 


380  THE    VICTORY   GAINED   AND    SECUKED. 

"Such  tokens  of  friendship  were  not  allowed  to  interfere 
with  her  religious  charities.  She  held  all  she  possessed  as 
a  steward,  and  asked  not,  '  What  shall  I  give  to  the  Lord  ?  ' 
but, '  How  much  may  I  take  for  myself?  ' 

"  She  endeavored  to  be  careful  not  to  injure  character  by 
ill-judged  charity.  She  sought  so  to  help  her  nephews  and 
nieces  as  to  enable  them  to  help  themselves.  To  several 
of  them,  who  were  making  great  efforts  to  obtain  an  educa- 
tion, she  gave  twenty-five  dollars  each  in  money,  and  after- 
wards lent  them  considerably  more,  in  some  cases  to  the 
amount  of  one  or  two  hundred  dollars  each.  All  the  money 
thus  lent  had  been  paid  up  before  her  death,  except  what 
was  due  from  one  of  the  last  who  had  been  favored  in  this 
way.  With  this  aid,  some  of  her  relatives  have  become 
successful  teachers ;  two  of  her  nieces  are  now  in  distant 
heathen  lands.  To  the  only  son  of  her  eldest  sister,  who  is 
preparing  for  the  gospel  ministry,  she  left  an  annuity,  to  be 
continued  during  his  pupilage. 

"  She  felt  and  taught  that  it  injures  the  character  of  a  young 
person  to  receive  gift  after  gift  from  a  hand  on  which  he  has 
no  natural  claim.  Such  benefactions,  she  was  accustomed 
to  say,  not  only  destroyed  the  independence  of  a  noble 
spirit,  but  induced  a  habit  of  claiming  as  a  right  what  is 
only  a  favor.  '  Gratitude,'  she  said,  '  is  often  a  stranger  in 
the  hearts  of  young  persons  who  are  adopted  into  families, 
and  installed  as  children.  So  those  who  receive  their  educa- 
tion as  a  boon  from  the  purse  of  a  stranger  are  apt  to  lose 
more  in  manly  self-dependence  than  they  gain  in  mental 
culture.'  In  the  Education  Society  she  admired  its  plan  of 
lending  money  to  its  beneficiaries,  because  it  leaves  their 
native  independence  uncrushed.  Well  does  the  writer  know 
one  of  Miss  Lyon's  beloved  relatives,  whom  she  conducted 
from  a  lowly  home,  and  placed  under  the  eye  of  Miss  Grant 
till  she  was  qualified  to  fill  a  station  of  responsibility  which 
was  offered  her.     Soon  after  she  entered  upon  the  duties  of 


HELP    TO    FRIENDS.  381 

this  station,  an  accomplished  a6d  agreeable  gentleman,  to 
this  day  an  able  agent  in  the  foreign  missionary  field,  invited 
her  to  accomyany  him  in  the  journey  of  life.  To  her  the 
field  was  invhing,  and  she  felt  also  that  he  was  a  man  whom 
she  could  love  and  esteem.  She  unhesitatingly  declined  the 
invitation,  because  she'had  not  cancelled  the  debt  due  for 
her  education  ;  and  that,  too,  without  consulting  her  friends, 
who  would  generously  have  made  up  a  purse  for  her ;  with- 
out writing  to  her  aunt  for  advice,  who  would  probably  have 
remitted  the  debt ;  and  she  did  this  without  telling  the  ser- 
vant of  the  Lord,  with  whose  choice  she  was  honored,  the 
exact  obstacle  which  lay  in  the  way  of  accepting  his 
proposal. 

"  Who  does  not  like  that  spirit  of  independence,  that  deter- 
mination to  pay  her  own  debts  ?  It  is  not  necessary  to  say 
whether,  when  that  lady  had  fully  met  every  demand  against 
her,  another  opportunity  was  afforded  her  to  walk  a  similar 
path  ;  whether  a  beloved  and  honored  wife,  happy  in  a  do- 
mestic circle  of  her  own,  she  dwells  in  the  temperate  or  the 
tropical  regions,  in  the  land  of  vines  or  of  spices.  But  she  is 
now,  and  has  been  ever  since  her  decision,  favored  with  a 
position  in  society  and  a  sphere  of  usefulness  sufficient  to 
satisfy  any  reasonable  woman. 

"  In  the  summer  of  1841,  being  persuaded  by  her  friends 
to  journey,  Miss  Lyon  visited  some  of  her  near  and  dear 
relatives  in  the  western  part  of  New  York.  They  were  at 
the  time  in  distressing 'straits,  and  knew  not  whence  help 
Gould  come.  By  a  series  of  misfortunes,  sicknesses,  and 
losses,  they  had  been  driven  to  mortgage  their  small  farm. 
They  were  in  anxious  conference  at  the  moment  of  her 
arrival,  because  their  homestead  was  soon  expected  to  come 
under  the  hammer  of  the  auctioneer.  '  Here  is  Mary ;  she 
will  help  you,'  said  her  uncle,  as  she  stopped  at  the  door 
of  their  humble  dwelling.  She  was  the  angel  of  mercy  to 
thens  in  their  hour  of  need.     She  redeemed  the  farm,  took 


382  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

the  deed  in  her  own  name,  gave  them  a  life  lease  of  the  spot, 
and  on  their  death  it  is  bequeathed  by  her  last  will  and  tes- 
tament to  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  For- 
eign Missions." 

The  following. incidents,  related  by 'Miss  Robinson,  once  a 
teacher  in  the  seminary,  show  us  Miss  Lyon's  skill  in  con- 
trolling the  conduct  of  pupils  without  the  direct  exercise  of 
authority :  — 

"  It  was  contrary  to  the  rules  of  Miss  Lyon's  establish- 
ment that  any  young  lady  should  absent  herself  from  the 
regular  meals,  sick  or  well^  without  permission  so  to  do. 
'  If  you  are  not  able  to  come  to  me  yourself,  or  some  other 
teacher,  send  your  room-mate,'  was  ever  her  injunction. 
Some  young  ladies  would  go  to  the  table  without  turning  their 
plates.  The  sick  had  their  particular  table,  which  each  could 
leave  for  her  own  room  whenever  she  chose,  without  waiting 
for  the  whole  company  to  rise,  as  was  the  rule  at  the  health 
tables.  No  young  lady  expected  to  be  a  little  unwell  and  stay 
in  her  own  room  during  meal-time,  and  keep  it  from  Miss 
Lyon's  knowledge,  without  being  disappointed.  Her  Argus 
eyes  saw  every  thing.  Neither  would  she  unnecessarily  send 
an  apology  for  non-appearance  more  than  once  or  twice. 
Miss  Lyon  nipped  such  things  in  the  bud  most  effectually.  I 
well  remember  a  case  illustrative  of  this  power  of  hers.  A 
friend  of  mine,  feeling  rather  indisposed,  concluded  not  to  go 
down  to  the  dining-room  to  tea  one  night.  I  was  deputed,  as 
her  friend,  to  report  her  case  to  Miss  Lyon,  at  whose  table 
she  sat.  Through  carelessness,  I  did  not  speak  of  my  friend's 
illness  till  after  the  family  had  risen  from  the  meal.  Then  Miss 
Lyon  was  inquiring  of  another  teacher  why  this  young  lady 
absented  herself  from  the  supper  table.  Coming  up  in  the 
midst  of  the  conversation,  I  explained  the  matter,  as  I 
thought,  most  satisfactorily  — '  My  friend  did  not  feel  -able 


SKILL    IN    MANAGING    PUPILS.  383 

to  come  down  to-night.'  'Ah,  sick,  is  she?'  exclaimed 
Miss  L.,  fixing  her  piercing  eyes  full  upon  me.  '  No,  O,  no, 
only  a  little  unwell.'  '  Wouldn't  she  like  something  in 
her  room  }  '  '  Yes,  she  commissioned  me  to  carry  up  to  her 
a  cup  of  tea  and  cracker.'  *  You  may  go  to  her  now,'  re- 
plied Miss  L. ;  '  I'll  see  to  that.'  I  ascended  to  the  fourth 
story  to  my  companion ;  I  found  her  very  comfortably  seated 
in  her  rocking-chair  by  the  window,  watching  a  glorious 
sunset.  I  placed  myself  by  her  side,  and  soon  forgot -tho 
tea  and  cracker  and  all  things  pertaining  to  it.  In  a  few 
moments,  a  slight  tap  was  heard  at  the  door.  '  Come  in,' 
both  exclaimed  in  one  voice.  The  door  slowly  opened,  and 
Miss  Lyon  walked  into  the  room,  bearing  a  waiter,  with  'my 
friend's  tea  and  cracker.  Had  a  spirit  from  the  unseen 
world  appeared  before  us,  we  could  not  have  been  more 
astonished.  Our  apologies  were  profuse.  My  poor  friend 
had  no  idea  of  Miss  L.'s  coming  from  the  basement  to  the 
fourth  story  for  her.  With  perfect  kindness,  our  beloved 
teacher  told  us  that  every  one  was  tired  at  night,  and  she 
could  come  as  well  as  any  other.  She  made  particular  in- 
quiries of  my  friend,  who  had  nothing  to  say,  and  then  de- 
parted. That  young  lady  never  remained  in  her  room 
afterwards,  when  the  bell  rang  for  the  dining-room,  when 
she  was  able   to  take   a  little  tea  and  cracker. 

"  I  knew  a  young  lady,  at  the  commencement  of  the 
term,  arrive  rather  tired,  feel  rather  selfish  and  indolent,  and 
fancy  refreshments  would  taste  much  sweeter  in  her  own 
room.  Accordingly,  she  sent  to  the  general  directress  of 
domestic  work,  and  asked  that  some  young  lady  might  come 
to  such  a  number,  with  such  and  such  articles  of  food.  Not 
long  after,  the  supper  came.  But  Miss  L.  brought  it  to  the 
healthy,  stout  young  lady,  lounging  carelessly  upon  the  bed, 
detailing  the  incidents  of  her  recent  journey  to  her  social 
companions.  How  thankful  was  I  not  to  meet  the  calm, 
kind,  half-reproachful  glance  from  the  weary  eye  of  Miss 
Lvon  ! 


384  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

"  Miss  Lyon  desired  us  to  be  as  careful  of  all  the  domestic 
utensils  as  of  the  furniture  in  our  own  rooms.  She  had  a 
great  aversion  to  our  using  dishes  appropriated  to  one  par- 
ticular purpose  for  several.  Of  course,  laxity  on  this  point 
would  be  somewhat  prevalent." 

When  her  friends,  and  especially  her  relatives,  were  be- 
reaved or  afflicted,  Miss  Lyon  was  ever  ready  with  the  balm 
of  sympathy  for  their  wounded  spirits.  We  quote  only  a 
few  examples. 

TO    MISS    SARAH    BEIGHAM. 

"NoETOK,  July  24,  1837. 
"  I  have  sympathized  with  you  in  your  late  afflictions.  I 
need  not  tell  you  that  I  feel  deeply  interested  in  all  that 
relates  to  yourself  and  friends,  and  that  my  interest  in  your 
behalf  is  now  more  deeply  enlisted  than  ever.  How  sweet, 
though  painful,  must  it  be  to  think  of  your  dear  mother  ! 
You  do  not  dwell  on  her  image,  which  is  ever  before  you, 
with  painful  emotions  and  anxious  doubt  where  she  now  is, 
and  what  is  now  her  condition,  and  what  her  present  employ- 
ments. You  can  rest  quietly  in  the  belief  that  she  is  now 
with  her  God,  beyond  all  dangers  and  all  troubles.  When 
you  first  awake  in  the  morning,  do  you  not  think  of  her  for  a 
moment  as  still  alive  ?  But  the  next  moment  the  painful 
reality  rushes  upon  you  that  she  is  indeed  no  more  ;  that 
she  has  gone,  forever  gone,  and  you  are  all  motherless. 
But  the  painful  truth  scarcely  finds  its  way  into  your  wounded 
heart,  when  your  soul  is  filled  with  the  sweet  consolation 
that  she  is  happy,  forever  happy  ;  that  she  does  not  lie  dis- 
tressed on  that  painful  couch,  where  you  watched  her  by  day 
and  by  night.  She  has  gone  to  rest  —  eternal  rest.  How 
important  that  such  afflictions  should  lead  us  to  do  with  our 
might  what  our  hands  find  to  do  !  What  have  we  to  do  with 
this  world,  except  as  a  place  to  prepare  for  eternity  ourselves, 
and  to  seek  the  same  preparation  in  behalf  of  others  ?  " 


EAVAGES    OF   DEATH.  385 


TO   HER   NIECE,   L.    MOOKE. 

"December  9,  1846. 

".  .•  .  .  Write  me  a  long  letter,  and  tell  me  all  about 
your  mother.  Dear  sister,  how  my  heart  has  sympathized 
with  her  every  time  I  have  thought  of  her  trial  in  Abby's 
going  to  India  !  I  hope  you  will  do  much  to  comfort  her,  and 
may  she  ever  have  a  Friend  in  heaven,  who  shall  be  better 
to  her  than  all  the  comforts  of  sons  and  daughters. 

"My  health  is  much  improved.  I  do  not  speak  to  the 
whole  school,  but  hope  I  shall  soon.  I  have  not  seen  your 
brother  yet,  but  will  ride  over  to  Amherst  soon  and  search 
him  out." 

TO  HER  BROTHER. 

"  South  Had  let,  December  3,  1840. 
"  But  a  few  years  ago,  and  we  seemed  an  unbroken  circle. 
Though  separated  from»each  other,  we  seven  were  all  living, 
and  could  think  and  pray  for  one  another  from  day  to  day. 
After  the  hand  of  death  was  laid  on  our  dear  father,  nearly 
thirty  years  passed  away  before  any  one  of  us  was  called  out 
of  time  into  eternity.  Since  then,  how  frequently  have  we 
been  called  to  mourning  !  How  great  have  been  the  ravages 
of  death  !  You  have  heard  of  sister  F.'s  departure,  and 
now  it  becomes  my  painful  duty  to  tell  you  that  another  one 
is  gone.  Yes,  our  dear  mother  is  no  more.  My  dear 
brother,  can  you  think  how  lonely  it  was  to  me  as  I  followed 
her  dear  remains  to  the  grave,  with  no  brother  or  sister  by 
my  side  .''  I  felt  that  indeed  our  family  was  but  a  broken 
circle.  As  I  passed  out  of  the  door  where  I  have  often  met 
her  gladdened  and  joyful  face,  as  I  went  along  the  way 
where  we  have  so  many  times  rode  together  to  see  sister  J., 
and  as  I  looked  on  her  placid  face  for  the  last  time,  '  Can  this 
be,'  thought  I, '  my  dear  mother  ?  and  is  this  my  last  visit  to 
her  solitary  home  ?  '  "  ^ 
33 


386  THE    VICTORY   GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

The  death  of  a  niece,  who  was  teaching  in  Willoughby, 
Ohio,  occasioned  the  following  letter  to  another  of  the 
teachers  in  that  place  :  — 

"  South  Hadlet,  November  27,  1847. 
"  My  DEAR  Miss  T.  : 

"  Your  kind  letters  relative  to  my  dear  niece  have  been 
received.  I  feel  that  I  have  another  precious  treasure  laid 
up  in  heaven.  You  have  my  sincere  gratitude  for  your 
kindness  to  her,  especially  during  her  sickness  and  her  de- 
parture to  her  final  home  ;  also  for  writing  in  so  particular 
a  manner.  She  was  a  tender,  sensitive  plant ;  and  since  the 
death  of  her  own  mother  and  her  residence  with  me,  I  have 
watched  over  her  with  great  interest.  I  love  to  think  that 
it  has  been  my  privilege  to  aid  in  fitting  her  for  her  present 
home.  I  love  to  think  of  her  where  she  now  is,  with  a  great 
circle  of  my  dear  family  relatives,  and  many  of  a  long  train 
of  ancestors.  For  some  wise  reason,  I  have  no  doubt  she  was 
led  far  away  from  home  to  die.  It  is  gratifying  to  me  that  her 
last  associations  were  so  pleasant,  and  her  connection  with 
you  and  the  other  dear  teachers  so  desirable.  She  used  to 
write  about  you  with  much  affection  and  confidence.  It  is 
also  gratifying  to  me,  that  she  was  permitted  to  enter  on  a 
field  of  usefulness,  and  one  so  congenial  to  her  feelings.  All 
the  little  tokens  of  respect,  affection,  and  attention  shown 
her  while  living,  and  to  her  memory  since  her  death,  I  value 
very  much.  But  of  how  little  consequence  is  all  now,  in  the 
light  of  the  countenance  of  her  blessed  Savior !  She  has 
gone,  and,  as  I  trust,  has  arrived  safely  home.  Please  give 
my  kind  and  grateful  acknowledgments  to  all  who  nursed 
her  and  watched  over  her  in  her  sickness,  to  all  who  have 
contributed  to  her  comfort,  and  mingled  their  sympathies 
and  tears  in  this  dispensation  of  divine  Providence. 

"  You  inquire  about  her  things,  because  she  was  in  some 
degree  indebted  to  me.     I  am  anxious  that  all  should  go  to 


FIRST    DEATH   IN    THE    SEMINARY.  387 

her  near  relatives.  Please  send  them  to  her  sister  C,  and  I 
shall  write  that  all  may  be  settled  between  her  and  the 
other  friends.  I  will,  authorize  you  to  select  some  arti- 
cles as  keepsakes  for  those  with  whom  she  was  associated  in 
W.,  &c." 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"South  Hadley,  April  12,  1839. 
"  My  dear  Miss  Grant  : 

"  We  have  just  been  passing  through  a  trying  scene. 
Death  for  the  first  time  has  entered  our  windows,  and  marked 
one  of  our  number  as  his  victim.  It  has  been  a  trying, 
solemn  time.  It  was  a  disease  of  the  head,  and,  as  is  com- 
mon in  such  cases,  was  very  deceitful  in  developing  its  true 
nature  till  a  short  time  before  her  death.  On  this  account, 
none  of  her  friends  were  here  to  see  her  breathe  her  last. 
Her  sister  arrived  about  two  hours  after,  and  her  fathe^  met 
the  remains  a  few  miles  from  this  place,  as  they  were  rnov- 
ing  towards  her  last  earthly  home.  She  had  been  with  us 
about  a  year,  and  I  trust  her  being  here  has  been  the  means 
of  preparing  her  for  heaven. 

"  She  became  serious  last  summer,  indulged  a  hope  in  the 
autumn,  has  been  consistent  through  the  winter  as  a  Chris- 
tian, and  has  seemed  to  share  deeply  in  the  late  revival. 
She  has  not  been  very  well  through  the  whole  year,  and  I 
now  think  that  the  causes  of  her  last  disease  have  been  long  at 
work  in  her  system.  But  it  seems  as  if  an  unseen  hand  had 
kept  back  its  progress,  that  she  might  repent  and  believe, 
and  prepare  for  eternity. 

"  I  will  take  Rees's  Cyclopaedia  at  the  price  you  mention, 
but  I  have  not  the  means  to  purchase  the  Annals  of  Educa- 
tion. If  you  do  not  wish  to  sell  all  together,  perhaps  '  the 
Memorandum  Society,'  in  the  seminary,  may  purchase  one* 
set.  It  is  now  vacation,  and  those  to  whom  the  question 
would  be  referred  are  not  here.  The  leading  objects  of  the 
society  are  to  preserve  a  history  of  its  members,  and   a 


388  THE    VICTORY   GAINED.  AND    SECURED. 

general  history  of  the  seminary.     It  is  designed  also  to  make 
it  a  means  of  individual  improvement. 

"  We  are  thinking  of  preparing  a  written  catalogue,  with 
various  items  attached  to  each  name,  as  a  part  of  the  work 
of  the  Memorandum  Society." 

Such  a  catalogue  was  prepared,  and  a  new  edition  is  pub- 
lished once  in  five  years  ;  the  last  in  1847.  That  contains 
five  hundred  and  seventy-nine  names ;  two  hundred  and 
ninety-nine  of  whom  had  engaged  in  teaching  after  leaving 
the  seminary.  This,  of  course,  embraces  only  a  part  of 
those  connected  with  the  institution. 

TO    MRS.   BRIGGS. 

"  South  Hadley,  September  1,  1841. 
"  My  dear  Mrs.  Briggs  : 

"  I  have  already  sympathized  with  you  in  your  present 
trial.  May  the  Lord  comfort  and  sustain  you,  and  give  our 
dear  Miss  Grant  all  the  strength  which  she  needs.  How 
many  changes  do  we  meet,  and  in  how  many  ways  are  these 
changes  taking  place  !  How  does  Providence  in  wisdom  set 
one  thing  over  against  another,  so  that  we  need  not  glory  in 
our  own  strength,  rejoice  too  much  in  our  own  happiness,  or 
sorrow  above  reason  !  Scarcely  a  new  cord  of  affection  can 
be  spun,  but  the  materials  must  be  drawn  from  the  shattered 
fibres  of  some  former  attachment.  On  the  other  side, 
scarcely  are  the  firmest  bonds  broken  asunder,  but  they  are 
followed  by  some  new  ones  of  equal,  if  not  greater  interest. 
My  feelings  were  interested  on  this  subject  last  winter,  when 
Miss  Grant  informed  me  that  you  appeared  near  your  grave. 
'  How  interesting,'  thought  I, '  must  be  your  situation,  as  far  as 
you  had  power  to  reflect ;  at  one  moment  looking  with  deep 
sorrow  on  those  many  cords  which  must  soon  be  severed  ; 
and  the  next  moment,  forward  to  those  new  and  everlasting 
bonds  in  heaven  just  ready  to  be  bound  around  your  heart ! 


SENSE    OF    RESPONSIBILITY.  389 

I  love  sometimes  to  lose  sight  of  individuals,  in  think- 
ing of  the  bundles  of  eternal  life  and  happiness  that  are 
bound  up  together  in  heaven.  How  delightful  will  be  the 
joys  of  that  happy  place  !  Edwards's  views  in  his  '  History 
of  Redemption,'  on  God's  dealings  with  his  church  as  a 
whole,  are  very  interesting." 

TO    MRS.    SAFFORD. 

"  South  Had  let,  September  26,  1843. 

"  I  think  I  shall  like  the  plan  (just  detailed)  very  much,  as 
I  am  very  partial  to  any  thing  which  will  relieve  me  of  care. 
The  thought  of  giving  instruction  to  so  many  minds  brings 
with  it  an  increasing  anxiety.  For  this  I  must  reserve  all 
the  mental  and  moral'  strength  which  I  can.  I  must  not  de- 
pend on  the  impulse  of  the  moment,  and  on  the  united 
strength  of  the  occasion,  so  much  as  I  have  done  the  last  six 
years.  When  I  think  of  the  sudden  and  strong  transitions 
of  mind  and  heart  which  I  have  often  been  obliged  to  make, 
1  feel  that  I  can  never  do  it  again  ;  and  even  if  I  could  do  it, 
I  could  not  sustain  the  shock  many  times  more. 

"  I  have  taken  a  health  excursion  among  the  hills  about 
forty  miles  distant,  and  just  returned  quite  invigorated.  I 
have  a  good  old  aunt  among  the  hills.  Her  home  is  in  the 
highest,  and  wildest,  and  roughest  place  which  I  ever  visit. 
She  is  the  last  remnant  of  the  old  stock,  the  liveliest  image 
of  my  dear  mother.  I  always  find  the  ride  to  her  mountain 
home,  and  the  communing  with  her  on  former  days,  very 
sweet." 

TO    MRS.    SAFFORD. 

"  South  Had  ley.  May  1,  1843. 
"  You  express  a  desire  that  I  should  think  of  Boston. 
How  could  I  do  less,  when  God  has  given  you  a  heart  for  so 
much  interest  in  our  behalf  ?  '  Ye  knew  what  great  conflict ' 
I  had  about  the  time  I  was  in  Boston,  and  you  opened  your 
heart  to  sympathize  with  me  in  behalf  of  those  who  had 
33* 


390  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

never  seen  your  face  in  the  flesh,  I  thought  I  had  reason  to 
believe  that  out  of  our  family  no  one  was  like  minded  with 
yourselves  to  care  for  our  souls.  How  can  I  but  remember 
you  in  return,  and  the  desires  of  your  hearts,  and  the  work 
of  your  hands  .?  That  infantile  church  has  its  own  place,  and 
a  very  important  place,  in  the  great  system  of  means  in 
Boston,  which  that  favored  city  should  use  in  the  renovation 
of  the  world.  In  bringing  that  church  to  occupy  just  its  own 
place  in  this  blessed  work,  the  labors  and  responsibilities 
which  Providence  has  assigned  to  yourself  and  husband  are 
by  no  means  small.  When  I  spread  out  my  heart  before 
the  mercy  seat,  I  cannot  but  remember  your  church,  your 
labors  in  it,  and  the  labors  of  your  beloved  pastor.  How 
much  do  you  all  need  of  heavenly  wisdom,  of  holy  love, 
and  of  godly  zeal.  May  the  Lord  give  you  more  than  we 
can  ask  or  think." 

ON  FORMER  ATTACHMENTS. TO  MISS  GRANT. 

"  South  Had  let,  April  23,  1838. 
"  Do  you  now  and  then  like  to  receive  a  line  from  me,  or 
have  you  so  many  other  cares,  that  it  is  a  tax  on  your, 
strength  more  than  it  is  worth  ?  The  intimate  communion 
which  continued  between  us  for  so  many  years,  I  do  not,  I 
cannot  forget.  Sometimes  former  views,  and  former  inter- 
course, and  former  mutual  duties  and  obligations,  and  mutual 
kindness  and  faithfulness,  in  contrast  with  the  present  non- 
intercourse  almost  between  us,  come  over  me,  with  an  over- 
whelming power.  I  know^  it  must  be  so.  I  know  you  can- 
not come  to  see  me,  nor  can  I  go  to  see  you  ;  and  if  I  could, 
I  should  not  feel  at  liberty  to  tax  your  strength  with  my 
visits.  The  same  is  true  with  regard  to  our  writing.  I  am 
generally  entirely  reconciled.  But  occasionally,  when  I 
have  heard  nothing  from  you  for  weeks  or  months,  only  as  I 
do  by  the  by,  as  I  do  from  any  of  my  common  acquaint- 
ances, 1  find  myself  involuntarily  saying.  Is  this  that  same 


THE  CHANGEABLENESS  OF  EARTH.  391 

friend  with  whom  I  lived  and  labored  so  many  years,  with 
whom  I  had  so  much  intercourse  from  day  to  day,  and 
with  whom  I  have  exchanged  so  many  letters  ?  This  is  the 
changeableness  of  earth.  How  transitory  is  every  thing  here ! 
It  seems  as  if  I  could  say  of  nothing  that  it  has  long  been, 
but  only  that  it  once  was ;  or  that  it  now  is,  and  may  be  a 
few  days  longer.  Of  all  the  changes  that  take  place,  the 
changing  of  friends,  of  companions,  of  fellow-laborers,  of  fel- 
low-travellers through  this  pilgrimage,  is  the  most  painful. 
Rather  let  these  changes  come  year  by  year,  and  month  by 
month,  so  that  there  may  be  no  tender  and  long-strengthened 
cords  to  be  torn  asunder  —  that  there  may  be  no  train  of 
recollection  and  former  communion  to  add  to  scenes  of 
desolation." 

TO    MISS    GEANT. 

"  South  Hadlet,  March  14,  1840. 

"  Saturday  is  my  day  for  writing  letters,  and  for  all  busi- 
ness connected  with  letters.  I  always  on  that  day  think  of 
writing  to  my  dearest  friend,  who,  I  fear,  may  be  suffering 
much,  though  I  hope  she  may  be  enjoying  as  much.  But 
sometimes  the  vain  endeavor  to  be  through  with  all  the  busi- 
ness letters  that  demand  my  immediate  attention,  and  more, 
to  decide  how  to  answer  them,  affects  my  head  so  that  I  have 
but  little  mind  or  heart  left  for  friends.  Sometimes  I  fear 
that  a  letter  of  mine,  written  in  my  blind  hand,  may  be  an 
unwelcome  messenger  to  one  who  is  seeking  for  quiet. 
However,  I  thank  you  for  your  precious  letter  received  the 
present  week,  and  will  most  gladly  reply. 

'•'■July  25,  1840.  —  I  love  to  think  of  your  visit  here.  I 
am  glad  you  have  seen  Deacon  and  Mrs.  P.  and  their  home. 
To'me  it  has  been  a  sweet  home  to  the  wanderer.  How 
kindly  have  I  been  taken  care  of  these  many  years  ! 

"  I  trust  your  prayers  in  our  behalf  will  not  be  less  fervent 
on  account  of  your  visit.  The  thought  has  often  been  very 
interesting  to  me,  that  your  prayers  could  be  as  effectual 


392  THE    VICTORY    GAINED    AND    SECURED. 

now  as  ever;  that  they  did  not  depend  on  health,  and  that 
your  prayers  in  our  behalf  might  be  answered  ;  though  I  did 
not  feel  at  liberty  to  ask  your  advice,  as  I  was  wont  to  do  in 
former  days." 

TO    MISS    GRANT. 

"April  15,  1841. 

"  My  very  dear  Friend  : 

"  Your  letter  mailed  yesterday  I  have  just  received,  in- 
forming me  of  the  sickness  of  dear  Mrs.  B.  I  cannot  forbear 
taking  my  pen  immediately  and  commencing  a  reply.  Few 
can  realize,  as  I  can,  the  deep  waters  of  affliction  through 
which  you  are  now  passing.  I  need  not  say,  that  I  sympa- 
thize with  you  most  deeply,  most  tenderly.  My  heart's 
desire  and  prayer  is,  that  you  may  be  sustained  and  com- 
forted by  consolations  better  than  all  human  sympathies.  I 
know  your  heart  is  now  too  full  to  think  much  of  yourself. 
The  thoughts  and  feelings  are  all  absorbed  in  the  solemn  and 
interesting  events  just  before  her,  whom  you  love  as  a  sister, 
and  more  than  a  sister.  It  is  indeed  better  for  her  to  depart 
and  be  with  Christ.  May  the  precious  Savior  take  her  by 
the  hand,  and  lead  her  gently  and  peacefully  through  the 
dark  valley,  and  give  her  a  home  with  Him,  in  whose  presence 
is  fulness  of  joy  and  pleasures  forevermore.  If  you  judge 
it  expedient,  I  should  be  gratified  to  have  you  give  Mrs.  B. 
my  love.  I  love  her  for  her  own  sake,  for  my  sake,  and, 
more  than  all,  for  your  sake. 

"  Dear  Mrs.  P.  is  spending  several  days  with  us.  She 
sends  her  love." 

TO  the  same. 

"August  13,  1841. 

"  The  kindness  of  Providence  towards  us  the  last  year 
has  been  very  manifest.  The  breeze  has  been  tempered  to 
the  shorn  lamb.  Will  you  not  pray  for  us,  that  as  we  come 
together,  a  preparation  of  heart  may  be  given  to  teachers 
and  pupils  ?  " 


BEREAVEMENTS.  393 

TO    MISS    GKANT. 

"  South  Hadley,  March  8,  1841. 
My  dear  Friend  : 

"  I  thank  you  for  communicating  so  much  about  the  health 
of  your  body,  and  the  health  of  your  soul.  I  have  long 
wanted  to  hear  from  you,  and  have  often  attempted  to  com- 
mend you,  with  all  your  unknown  state,  to  our  covenant- 
keeping  God.  The  dealings  of  divine  Providence  have  been 
such  towards  me  since  I  last  saw  you,  as  to  lead  me  to  think 
with  great  tenderness  of  all  my  friends,  and  especially  of 
yourself ;  and  more  than  all,  I  hope,  of  that  dearest  Friend 
that  sticketh  closer  than  a  brother.  The  hand  of  God  has 
been  laid  heavily  upon  me.  I  have  been  led  through  deep 
waters,  but  they  have  not  overflowed  me.  His  good  hand 
has  been  ever  my  support. 

"  You  have  heard  of  the  sickness  and  death  of  my  dear 
pupils  during  the  fall  vacation.  Last  year  we  took  unusual 
pains  about  the  health  of  our  young  ladies  ;  altogether  more 
than  ever  before.  So  true  is  it  that  the  race  is  not  to  the 
swift,  nor  the  battle  to  the  strong  ;  and  that  it  is  not  in  man 
that  watcheth  to  direct  his  steps.  None  but  my  heavenly 
Father  knows  how  great  a  trial  this  was  to  my  heart.  While 
others  have  been  inquiring  about  the  natural  cause,  I  have 
felt  that  we  who  were  most  nearly  connected  ought  particu- 
larly to  inquire  about  the  moral  cause,  and  to  seek  to  know 
what  the  Lord  would  have  us  learn  from  his  dealings  with 
us.  I  hope  the  affliction  has  not  been  altogether  lost  on 
myself,  but  that  in  the  hand  of  God  it  has  been  used  in  some 
degree  to  prepare  me  for  the  events  that  have  since  followed. 
You  have  heard  of  these.  1  have  nQw  no  mother  or  sister 
whom  I  can  go  and  see ;  and  alone  I  followed  my  dear 
mother  to  the  grave.  Her  prayers,  which  I  have  daily  had 
for  so  many  years,  I  shall  have  no  more.  She,  to  whose 
comfort  I  have  been  expecting  the  pleasant  privilege  of  ad- 
ministering for  years  to  come,  as  almost  the  only  child  left 


394  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

her,  will  need  nothing  more.  I  feel  my  family  loneliness ; 
but  with  it  eternity  seems  very  near,  with  all  its  precious 
privileges,  purchased  by  the  blood  of  our  glorious  Savior. 

"  The  last  stroke  touching  my  health  has  been  to  me 
scarcely  a  trial.  As  I  have  been  obliged  to  give  up  many 
labors  to  other  hands,  and  some  weeks  nearly  all,  I  have  felt 
that  I  have  nothing  to  say  and  scarcely  any  thing  to  ask,  but 
that  God  might  be  glorified. 

"  After  about  a  month's  active  labor  in  organizing  the 
school,  I  began  to  find  my  strength  very  weakness.  I  tried 
to  rest,  but  all  seemed  only  to  reduce  me  still  more.  I  have 
had  but  little  disease,  but  a  general  prostration.  For  several 
weeks  I  could  not  read  much,  nor  write,  nor  think,  nor  feel, 
nor  talk.  For  about  two  months  I  did  not  go  out  to  church. 
Now  I  can  go  half  a  day,  and  do  several  things  of  the 
lighter  sort. 

"  I  want  to  tell  you  many  things  about  our  school,  and 
how  kind  Providence  has  been  to  us,  and  how  the  way  was 
all  prepared  beforehand  for  me  to  be  laid  aside.  But  I  must 
wait  till  I  write  to  you  again.  The  Spirit  of  God  has  been 
evidently  with  us  all  the  year.  About  fifteen  have  expressed 
hope,  and  many  others  have  a  long  time  seemed  but  a  step 
from  the  kingdom  of  God." 

At  a  later  date,  she  wrote  as  follows : — 

"  I  have  often  thought  that  I  should  like  to  consult  you, 
but  I  would  not  tax  your  strength.  I  have  lately  been  think- 
ing that  you  could  do  one  thing  as  efl^ectually  as  ever,  with 
only  the  strength  you  have  to  spare.  That  is,  pray  for  us. 
I  want  to  tell  you  something  of  our  state,  that  you  can  the 
better  do  this  ;  but  I.  cannot  now.  The  gentle  dews  of 
heavenly  grace  have  been  descending  on  us,  as  I  hope,  all 
winter,  though  more  at  some  times  than  others.  All  of  the 
school  but  three  now  express  some  hope  that  they  love  Christ, 
though  in  some  this  hope  is  extremely  feeble." 

The    simple   and    affectionate    interest   expressed    in  the 


MARRIAGE    OF    MISS    GRANT.  395 

following  letter  is  in  reference  to  an  event  that  changed  the 
address  of  her  friend  :  — 

"South  Hadlet,  August  18,  1841. 
"  My  dear  Miss  Grant  : 

"  I  received  yours  by  last  mail.  To  say  that  I  was  so 
deeply  interested  in  its  contents  that  I  could  hardly  sleep, 
would  be  saying  but  little.  I  have  nothing  to  say  on  the  sub- 
ject, either  good  or  bad.  I  have  only  to  desire  that  this  ex- 
ceedingly important  event  may  be  for  your  own  happiness 
and  usefulness,  for  the  happiness  and  usefulness  of  others, 
and  also  for  the  glory  of  God.  I  trust  I  shall  be  able  to  be 
with  you  on  Tuesday,  the  7th.  My  thanks  to  yourself  and 
Mrs.  B.  for  inviting  me  to  pass  Monday  night  with  you.  If 
I  am  prevented  from  being  with  you  on  the  7th,  it  will  be  to 
me  a  great  trial. 

"  May  the  Lord  guide,  keep,  and  sustain  you,  my  dear 
friend.     My  affectionate  regards  to  Mrs.  B." 

TO  MRS.  BANISTER,  FORMERLY  MISS  GRANT. 

"  South  Hadlet,  December  — ,  1842. 

"  To  say  that  the  death  of  your  niece,  Mrs.  Burgess,*  was 
sorely  felt  by  many,  would  be  saying  but  very  little.  You 
know  I  loved  her  much,  and  valued  her  highly.  I  had  the 
privilege  of  seeing  and  knowing  much  of  her,  taking  together 
all  the  time,  from  my  first  meeting  her  at  her  father's 
in  Colebrook,  Connecticut,  and  my  first  calling  her  my  pupil 
in  Buckland,  to  her  last,  farewell  visit  here,  which  I  shall 
always  remember.  She  has  gone,  but  she  has  left  in  our 
hearts  a  sweet  memorial.  What  a  privilege  it  is  so  to  live 
as  to  leave  such  a  sweet  savor,  such  a  precious  treasure  in 
the  hearts  of  surviving  friends  ! 

"  We  have  had  a  very  prosperous  year  in  worldly  things. 
Every  thing  is  systematized,  and  Miss  M.  and  Miss  W.  urge 

*  Missionary  in  India. 


396  THE    VICTOEY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

forward  the  wheels  so  beautifully  that  all  seems  more  than  evei 
like  clockwork.  I  enjoy  very  much  having  every  thing  done 
better  by  others  than  it  can  be  by  myself.  If  this  pleasure 
continues  to  increase  as  it  has  done  for  a  year  or  two,  I 
hope  I  may  be  prepared  to  be  happy  in  being  old,  and  in 
being  laid  aside  as  a  useless  thing.  But  in  spiritual  things 
we  are  less  favored.  There  has  been  less  interest  than  we 
have  had  any  year  since  the  first.  Pray  for  us,  that  we  may 
not  receive  all  our  good  things  in  this  life." 

TO    MES.    BANISTEE. 

"July,  1843. 

"  My  deae  Mes.  B.  : 

"  I  have  finished  my  business  so  as  to  leave  to-morrow. 
I  have  given  directions  to  have  your  thirty-two  copies  [of 
the  '  Missionary  Offering,'  probably]  sent  to  you.  Will  you 
accompany  each  copy  which  you  give  away  with  one  peti- 
tion —  that,  sooner  or  later,  God  would  honor  the  exceeding 
riches  of  his  condescending  love  in  blessing  it  to  the  salva- 
tion of  some  souls .''  I  have  thought  more  about  the  instru- 
mentality of  prayer,  for  a  few  months  past,  than  ever  before 
in  the  same  time.  What  a  field  of  usefulness  is  here  opened 
for  all,  under  all  circumstances  !  What  a  privilege  is  it  to 
pray  that  God  may  be  honored  by  all  our  friends,  and  by 
ourselves,  at  all  times  and  in  all  places  ;  that  the  interests 
of  immortal  souls  may  be  promoted,  and  Christ's  kingdom 
advanced  !  It  seems  to  me  an  infinite  privilege  to  have  my 
friends  pray  that  God  may  be  honored  in  all  I  do,  compared 
with  their  simply  praying  for  my  own  comfort  and  hap- 
piness." 

TO    THE    same! 

"  South  ,Hadley,  July,  1844. 
"  My  dear  Mes.  B.  : 

"  While  I  have  many,  very  many  things  to  say,  I  must 
content  myself  with  a  single  line.     We  will  receive  your 


THE   PRIVILEGE    OF   DOING   GOOD.  397 

niece,  and  endeavor  to  meet  your  wishes  on  all  the  points 
specified  in  your  letter.  Miss  M.  and  Miss  W.  are  very 
faithful  in  looking  after  the  health  and  the  sleep  of  the  young 
ladies ;  so  we  have  been  improving  and  enlarging  in  this 
respect  from  year  to  year.  Now,  although  we  do  not  actu- 
ally require  all  to  be  in  bed  more  than  seven  or  seven  and  a 
half  hours,  yet  they  need  make  no  exceptions  to  any  family 
arrangements,  if  they  should  add  one,  two,  or  three  more 
hours.  None  need  do  their  domestic  work  in  the  ordinary 
hours  for  sleep,  unless  they  choose  to  do  so." 

TO    MRS.    BANISTER. 

"  MoNSON,  September  3,  1844. 
"  My  dear  Mrs.  B.  : 

"  I  am  now  on  my  way  to  Boston,  where  I  shall  spend  a 
few  days  for  business,  and  return  to  attend  the  meeting  of 
the  Board  at  Worcester.  Mrs.  P.  sends  you  her  love.  Shall 
we  not  see  you  at  Worcester .''  Is  it  not  the  duty  and  privi- 
lege of  Christians  to  carry  this  missionary  meeting  on  their 
hearts  to  the  throne  of  grace .''  Except  the  Lord  build  the 
house,  they  labor  in  vain  who  build  it.  What  a  privilege  it 
is  to  be  allowed  to  cooperate  in  the  least  degree  in  the  great 
work  of  bringing  this  world  to  the  love  and  service  of  our 
blessed  Redeemer  !  As  we  advance  in  life,  may  we  have  a 
more  single  eye  to  the  glory  of  God  in  all  we  do,  in  all  we 
desire,  and  in  all  we  feel.  May  we  have  deeper  and  more 
affecting  views  of  the  value  of  the  soul,  and  of  the  unspeak- 
able and  incomprehensible  value  of  the  price  which  has 
been  paid  for  its  ransom.  I  often  feel  that  my  days  are  rap- 
idly passing,  and  that  I  have  but  a  few  remaining.  But 
these  remaining  days  are  precious  days,  if  they  should  be 
spent  for  the  cause  of  Christ.  And  what  an  unspeakable 
privilege  is  it  to  indulge  a  hope  that,  when  our  work  is  done, 
through  infinite  grace,  we  may  be  admitted  to  dwell  forever 
with  the  Lord  !  " 

81 


398  THE    VICTORY   GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

TO    MRS.    BANISTER. 

"SoDTH  IIadlet,  July  9,  1845. 
"  My  DEAR  Mrs.  B.  : 

"  My  mind  and  heart  are  full  of  a  thousand  things,  which 
I  should  love  to  say  for  friendship's  sake.  I  should  love  to 
tell  you  how  much  I  have  sympathized  with  you  in  your 
long-continued  and  trying  sufferings.  I  should  love  to  tell 
you  of  the  deep  interest  I  felt  in  your  remarkable  escape. 
O,  had  you  found  a  watery  grave,  you  would  not  only  have 
left  us  all  to  mourn  that  we  could  no  more  enjoy  you  on 
earth,  but  that  we  could  not  even  receive  your  parting  bless- 
ing at  a  dying  hour.  But  I  have  no  time.  Suffice  it  to  say, 
that  you  know  full  well  that  the  heart  cannot  always  find 
room  and  strength  to  utter  its  own  emotions." 

TO    THE    SAME. 

"South  HadleTj-JuIj  23,  1845. 
"  My  VERY  dear-  Friend  : 

"  I  have  allowed  your  letter  to  lie  by  one  mail,  and  if  you 
had  been  with  us  yesterday  morning,  you  would  not  think  it 
strange.  About  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  our  building 
was  struck  with  lightning ;  but  it  was  saved  from  a  speedy 
and  dreadful  destruction.  Do  you  recollect  a  closet  over 
our  ovens  for  drying  towels .''  The  frame  to  hold  the  towels 
was  moved  on  a  railway  made  of  iron  rails.  The  electric 
fluid  found  its  way  to  these  iron  rails,  and,  as  I  suppose,  in  a 
moment  every  towel  was  lighted  to  an  intense  blaze,  and  in 
a  few  minutes  the  whole  closet  was  like  a  burning  oven.  I 
think  I  heard  the  report  when  the  liglitning  struck,  and  in 
less  than  five  minutes  I  heard  the  cry  of  fire.  In  a  few 
minutes  more,  I  think  it  would  have  found  its  way  to  the 
wood- work  and  doors  leading  to  the  stairways,  in  such  a 
manner  that  it  would  have  been  past  control.  I  have  not 
time  to  tell  you  how  we  were  delivered.  My  mind  has  been 
affected  by  this  striking  illustration  of  eternal  things,  and  of 


A.   TEACHER    AT    THE    WEST.  399 

our  dependence  on  that  unseen  hand  by  which  we  have  been 
saved  from  everlasting  burning." 

TO    MBS.    BANISTER. 

"South  Hadlet,  March  25,  1846. 
"  I  wrote  to  Mrs.  Breese,  of  R.,  lUinois,  last  month,  mak- 
ing inquiries  about  her  present  situation  and  prospects.  She 
writes,  in  reply, '  I  am  now  teaching  a  select  school  in  our 
own  house,  sixteen  by  thirty  feet,  one  story  and  a  half  high. 
We  have  seventeen  scholars,  eleven  of  whom  board  with  us. 
L  sit  day  after  day,  with  my  babe,  a  large,  resolute  boy  of 
five  and  a  half  months,  in  my  arms,  teaching  them  as  well 
as  I  can.'  Mrs.  B.  has  already  sent  out  a  few  teachers  from 
her  school,  and  several  more  are  preparing  for  the  same  avo- 
cation. Most  of  them  could  have  attended  school  nowhere  else. 
Such  schools  as  Mrs.  B.  is  teaching  must  do  much  for  the 
west.  The  larger  schools  cannot  meet  all  their  wants  ;  and 
if  such  a  one  as  hers  could  be  established  wherever  pupils 
could  be  collected  together,  or  even  where  the  influence  of 
a  home  missionary  is  felt,  much  would  be  done  to  bless  our 
nation." 

TO    THE    SAME. 

"South  Hadlet,  November  27,  1846. 
"  How  I  should  love   to  commune  with  your  spirit  more 
frequently  than  I  can  !     Such  communings  may  be  reserved 
for  that '  nobler  rest  above,'  where 

•No  more  fatigue,  no  more  distress, 
Nor  sin,  nor  death  shall  reach  the  place.' 

"  I  have  passed  through  many  scenes,  the  last  year,  of 
deep  and  tender  interest  to  me,  concentrating  the  feelings  of 
many  years  into  one,  and  obviously  increasing  my  gray 
hairs.  I  feel  the  loss  of  my  two  nieces  very  much.  I  feel 
the  loss  socially  more  than  in  our  business,  though  they  were 


400  THE    VICTORY   GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

both  very  important  to  the  school.  Mrs.  Burgess  has  gone, 
and  I  could  not,  as  I  expected,  go  with  her  to  Boston.  It 
came  so  near  the  time  of  commencing  school,  that  I  thought 
it  not  prudent  to  use  the  extra  strength  it  would  require, 
especially  after  the  excitement  and  fatigue  connected  with 
so  great  changes  in  the  school.  My  niece,  Miss  Lyon, 
(now  Mrs.  Lord,)  has  just  come  to  make  us  her  last  visit. 
She  and  her  husband  expect  to  sail  next  month  from  New 
York  for  China.  I  had  depended  on  going  to  be  with  her  a 
little  while,  at  the  time  of  her  sailing,  but  my  health  will 
not  allow." 

TO    THE    SAME. 

"  South  Hadley,  April  27,  1848. 

"  I  am  glad  to  know  the  communings  of  your  spirit  with 
the  wise  and  good.  I  have  read  Upham's  '  Interior  Life ' 
with  deep  interest  and  profit.  I  love  to  meet  with  such  a 
heart  as  is  evident  in  what  he  writes.  It  disarms  my  dispo- 
sition to  criticize.  If  a  sentence  does  come  along,  now  arid 
then,  which  might  be  questioned  by  the  strictest  philosophical 
or  theological  rules,  it  is  easy  to  pass  it  over  and  gather  up 
the  spiritual  food. 

"  In  our  Sabbath  privileges  we  have  had  such  a  constant 
change  of  preachers,  since  our  dear  Mr.  Condit's  death,  that 
with  my  deafness  I  have  gained  but  little  profit.  Many 
things  relating  to  our  family  and  the  church  and  parish  ren- 
der  the  question  of  Mr.  Condit's  successor  one  of  great  im- 
portance and  of  deep  interest  to  me.  I  have  enjoyed  the 
privilege  of  praying  that  God  would  send  us  a  man  after  his 
own  heart,  and  such  a  one  as  he  knows  us  to  need. 

"  We  have  again  received  a  spiritual  blessing  in  our  fam- 
ily according  to  the  riches  of  the  grace  of  Jesus  Christ. 
During  our  first  term,  about  fifty  expressed  hope.  During 
the  last  term,  there  has  been  a  continued,  gradual,  progres- 
sive interest.  Some  one  case  of  hope  has  occurred  nearly 
every  week  ;  still,  there  are  about  thirty  without  hope." 


DEPARTED    MEN    OF    GOD.  401 

TO    MRS.    BANISTER, 

"South  Hadley,  June  5,  1848. 

"  Will  you  not  come  and  make  us  a  visit  the  week  of  our 
anniversary  ?  It  happens  the  first  Thursday  in  August. 
The  examination  will  occupy  two  or  three  days  preceding. 
Vou  have  a  standing  invitation  to  come,  and  I  enjoy  the 
belief  that  you  always  will  if  you  can.  I  do  not  know  that 
you  can  realize  what  a  great  pleasure  it  is  to  me  to  have 
yourself  and  husband  with  us  on  these  occasions. 

"  Our  dear  Mr.  Condit !  I  am  reminded  of  him  every  way ; 
I  shall  be  especially  at  the  time  of  our  anniversary.  I  loved 
him  as  a  friend  on  earth ;  if  possible,  my  spirit  loves  him 
more  as  a  friend  in  heaven.  His  memory  is  precious,  very 
precious.  But  we  have  another  man  of  God  in  his  stead, 
(Mr.  Laurie.)  For  this  I  would  thank  God.  I  should  love 
to  tell  you  all  about  the  dealings  of  my  heavenly  Father  in 
bringing  him  here,  in  helping  him  along,  and  the  various 
occurrences,  all  interesting  to  my  own  feelings,  connected 
with  his  becoming  our  pastor.  But  this  I  must  leave  till  1 
have  the  privilege  of  communing  with  you  face  to  face. 

"  I  have  recently  been  reading,  or,  rather,  am  now  read- 
ing, McCheyne's  '  Life,  Letters,  and  Lectures.'  It  is  just 
what  I  need  —  the  sincere  milk  dealt  out  in  childlike  sim- 
plicity and  godly  sincerity.  It  is  just  what  I  need  to  feed 
and  refresh  me  when  I  am  so  tired  that  I  can  do  nothing 
with  strong  meat.  With  my  feeble  strength,  and  with  the 
burden  laid  upon  me,  I  feel  that  henceforth  my  reading  must 
be  mostly  for  another  world.  I  do  want  to  commune  more 
with  your  spirit  on  earth  before  we  go  home  to  our  rest  in 
heaven." 

TO    MRS.    BANISTER. 

"South  Hadlet,  January  9,  1849. 
"  Our  vacation  commences  this  week.     I  feel  compelled 
to  try  to  flee  away  from  home  and  find  the  most  quiet  re- 
treat I  can,  partly  for  my  own  benefit,  and  partly  to  sustain 
34* 


402  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

my  credit  for  taking  proper  care  of  my  unworthy  self. 
Monson  will  be  my  principal  resting-place ;  but  it  is  in  my 
heart  to  take  a  ride  to  Newburyport.  But  whether  this  plan 
will  exist  out  of  my  heart  is  very  uncertain." 

Ten  days  later  she  writes  from  Monson,  — 

"  I  have  been  hesitating  about  the  path  of  duty.  But  I 
need  two  or  three  days  at  home  before  the  school  begins, 
which  I  cannot  have  if  I  attempt  to  visit  you.  Without 
being  in  a  hurry  to  do  any  thing  in  particular,  I  am  seeking 
for  rest,  which  I  need  most  of  any  thing.  This  I  can  best 
secure  by  remaining  in  this  place.  So  I  reluctantly  give  up 
the  prospect  of  seeing  you  just  at  present,  a  prospect  cher- 
ished more  tenderly  in  the  warmth  of  my  heart  than  in  my 
judgment.  I  have  some  missionary  letters,  which  I  would 
like  to  read  to  you.  Among  others,  those  relating  to  the 
severe  sickness  of  dear  Mrs.  Burgess.  But  she  is  yet  to 
live,  as  we  trust.  We  have  received  one  letter  from  her  own 
hand.  To  me  it  has  peculiar  interest.  It  seems  like  a  voice 
from  the  other  side  of  the  grave  in  a  most  tender,  heav- 
enly tone. 

"  There  has  been  for  a  few  weeks  a  slow,  progressive 
work  of  grace  among  us,  and  between  twenty  and  thirty 
have  expressed  hope  in  Christ.  We  greatly  fear  the  effects 
of  vacation.     Do  pray  for  us." 

TO    MISS   WHITMAN. 

"MoNSOX,  January  22,  1849. 
"  During  two  or  three  years  past,  I  have  been  trying  to  ma- 
ture in  the  literary  department  the  changes  which  sprung  up 
in  the  agitation  of  the  waters  on  Miss  Moore's  leaving,  and  I 
have  been  trying  to  mature  things,  too,  in  the  domestic  de- 
partment. I  had  every  thing  about  ready  for  work  this 
'year,  without  much  planning,  or  agitation,  or  change.    Thus 


TRIALS   AND    MERCIES.  403 

it  has  come  out  that  this  has  been  the  easiest  year,  in  itself 
considered,  we  have  almost  ever  had.  You  know  the  easy- 
years  come  along  now  and  then,  and  now  and  then  the  hard 
years.  Now  that  this  easy  year  should  come  right  along 
when  you  are  called  away  in  Providence,  is  surely  no  plan- 
ning of  mine.  So  it  is.  If  one  thing  is  made  comfortable 
and  easy,  we  may  expect  some  corresponding  trial.  If  trials 
and  perplexities  come,  then  we  may  look  for  some  comfort- 
mg,  consoling  providence.  We  may  always  expect  enough 
of  trial  and  difficulties  to  make  us  love  to  sing,  — 

•  Is  this,  dear  Lord,  that  thorny  road 
That  leads  us  to  the  mount  of  God  ? ' 

and  enough  of  consolation,  and  support,  and  blessing,  and 
mercy,  to  make  us  feel  that  Christ's  yoke  is  easy  and  his 
burden  light. 

"I  feel  rather  anxious  about  you,  and  shall  till  I  hear 
again.  I  shall  not  send  this  sheet  till  I  hear  from  you. 
My  heart's  desire  and  prayer  to  God  is,  that  you  may  be 
kept  in  the  arms  of  Him  who  never  slumbereth  nor  sleepeth, 
and  who  numbereth  the  very  hairs  of  our  heads.  I  pray 
that  you  may  experience  much  of  the  grace  of  God  in  your 
body,  in  your  soul,  in  your  spirit.  For  myself,  I  always  carry 
about  enough  of  my  own  self  to  be  a  fit  occasion  for  loath- 
ing and  abhorring  myself,  for  distrusting  myself,  for  casting 
off  all  confidence  in  the  flesh.  But  from  day  to  day,  I  think 
I  do  find  crums  enough  falling  from  the  table  to  prove  the 
infinite  mercy  and  long-suffering  of  God,  and  enough  to 
prove  the  exceeding  grace  of  the  gospel,  and  enough  of 
strength  in  the  time  of  extremity  to  prove  that  there  is  an 
arm  on  which  we  may  lean  with  safety.  I  want  to  ask  you 
to  pray  for  me  in  a  very  special  manner  about  one  thing. 
It  is  for  divine  guidance  and  strength  in  giving  religious  in- 
struction. Pray  that  I  may  have  hid  in  my  own  heart  all 
which  I  attempt  to  say.     Pray  that  I  may  speak  the  words 


404  THE    VICTORY   GAINED    AND    SECURED. 

of  truih,  every  jot  and  tittle  —  that  which  God  sees  and 
knows  to  be  truth.  Pray  that  hearts  may  receive  the 
truth  in  honesty,  sincerity,  and  in  faith.  Pray  that  in  these 
seasons  God  may  be  magnified,  and  glorified.  We  have 
great  reason  to  fear  and  tremble  about  our  next  term.  Vaca- 
tion came  just  as  the  religious  interest  seemed  to  be  spread- 
ing from  heart  to  heart.  Miss  Hazen  will  write  you  all  gen- 
eral facts,  I  suppose.  Between  twenty  and  thirty  expressed 
hope.  I  miss  you  most  of  all  in  the  care  of  souls.  But  we 
know  not  how  much  you  may  do  by  your  prayers." 

Results  of  the  Experiment. 

After  these  details  of  the  operation  of  the  new  seminary 
through  the  twelve  years  after  its  establishment,  in  which 
Miss  Lyon  lived,  it  will  be  interesting  to  bring  the  leading 
results  together  as  to  the  cost,  number  of  pupils,  &c.,  up  to 
the  present  time.  I  am  indebted  mainly  for  these  statements 
to  the  Hon.  Andrew  W.  Porter,  thc/  treasurer,  and  to  Miss 
Mary  W.  Chapin,  who  is  at  present  at  the  head  of  the 
institution. 

Cost  of  the  buildings  and  real  estate  connected 

with  them, $60,000 

"  of  the  furniture, 6,000 

"   of  the  apparatus  and  library, 2,500 

Total  cost,  all  obtained  by  subscription,    ....  68,500 
The  seminary  is  now  out  of  debt. 

It  has  funds  to  the  amount  of 1800 

Whole  number  of  names  of  pupils  on  the  first 

fourteen  catalogues, 2568 

Number  of  different  pupils,  between     .     .     1700  and  1800 
Completed  their  course  to  the  close  of  1851,    .     .  415 
Number  connected  with  the  Memorandum  Soci- 
ety to  1847, 593 


LIFE    DRAWING   TO   A   CLOSE.  405 

Number   who   have    engaged   in    teaching,   of 

these  593, 279 

If  one  half  as  large  a  proportion  of  the  other  1 157 
pupils,  that  have  been  connected  with  the 
institution,  had  engaged  in  teaching,  the 
whole  number  of  teachers  would  be     .     .  551 

Number  of  teachers  in  the  school, 55 

Amount  of  private  funds  expended  by  Miss 
Lyon  during  the  three  or  four  years  of 
starting  the  seminary, 81200  to  1400 

Property  left  by  her  to  the  American  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions,  in  reversion,  excepting 
about  $300, $2000  to  2500 


SECTION    III. 

The  Retrospect,  the   last   Visit,  the   last   Instruction,  and 
the  Departure. 

Thus  successfully  have  we  seen  the  great  enterprise  to 
which  Miss  Lyon  had  consecrated  the  vigor  of  her  days 
carried  forward  for  nearly  twelve  years,  each  year  exhibit- 
ing a  nearer  approach  to  perfection  in  her  plans,  and  a  more 
striking  evidence  of  the  wonderful  victory  she  had  gained 
in  a  most  unequal  conflict.  But  the  hour  of  release  was  at 
hand,  and  we  cannot  but  feel  a  deep  interest  to  witness  the 
close  of  a  life  so  happy  and  useful. 

It  would  be  strange  if  a  person  of  Miss  Lyon's  piety,  as 
she  felt  from  time  to  time  the  severe  pressure  of  infirmity, 
and  was  conscious  that  she  had  seen  more  than  half  a  cen- 
tury on  earth,  —  it  would  be  strange  if  she  should  not  often 
have  had  solemn  impressions  of  her  nearness  to  eternity.    It 


406  THE    VICTORY   GAINED   AND    SECT7RED. 

may  be  that  God  does  sometimes  give  special  premonitions 
to  his  servants  of  their  departure,  when  .about  to  take  them 
away.  Yet  it  does  not  appear  that  Miss  Lyon  had  any 
such  strong  presentiment.  On  the  contrary,  only  a  few 
.weeks  before  her  sickness  she  seems  to  have  felt  unusually 
vigorous,  and  indulged  a  hope  that  her  work  was  not  yet 
done.  This  feeling  appears  in  her  letter  to  Miss  Whitman, 
at  the  close  of  the  last  section,  written  from  Monson,  on  the 
22d  of  January,  1849.  Still  more  manifest  is  it  in  a  letter 
dated  from  the  same  place,  only  two  days  earlier,  to  Mrs. 
Burgess  in  India.  Yet,  as  we  shall  shortly  see,  God  had 
led  her  to  the  place  from  whence  she  wrote  for  the  purpose, 
apparently,  of  making  preparation  for  her  departure.  The 
tone  of  these  letters  shows  how  well  she  had  improved  the 
opportunity,  and  it  must  be  regarded  as  great  mercy  on 
God's  part  that  he  hid  his  purpose  from  her  till  ready  to  put 
it  into  execution.  She  thought  that  the  opportunity  she  en- 
joyed was  intended  to  prepare  her  for  usefulness  on  earth, 
but  God  meant  it  to  fit  her  for  a  higher  sphere. 

TO    MRS.    BURGESS. 

"  MoNSOx,  January  20,   1849. 
"  My  very  dear  Niece  : 

"  Here  I  am  again  with  my  dear  Mrs.  Porter.  She  pro- 
poses that  we  should  again  write  a  joint  letter  to  comfort  you 
in  your  pilgrimage  and  voluntary  exile  for  Christ's  sake. 
This  I  am  very  happy  to  do,  though  I  think  it  will  not  take 
a  very  large  part  of  the  sheet  to  assure  you  of  my  con- 
tinued remembrance  of  you  and  of  former  scenes.  I 
wrote  once  before  in  Mrs.  Porter's  letter,  two  years  ago. 
I  have  scarcely  had  a  vacation  of  any  sort  since  then.  But 
I  am  now  enjoying  an  old-fashioned  vacation  of  real  rest  in 
this  sweetest  of  all  resting-places.  Miss  Hazen  proposed  to 
stay  and  take  all  the  care,  and  let  me  go  away.  I  decided 
to  accept.    I  began  a  week  beforehand  to  arrange  all  things. 


HOPE    OF    MOKE    WORK.  407 

I  had  my  plans  made  out  in  writing,  and  left  all  behind  me. 
Here  I  can  quietly  read,  write  letters,  ride,  and  visit,  with 
nothing  to  annoy  me,  and  with  scarcely  a  thought  of  home, 
except  as  I  attempt  to  send  up  my  feeble  petitions,  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  may  come  down  and  dwell  with  us.  This 
is  the  more  remarkable,  as  Miss  Whitman  is  away.  But 
one  providence  meets  another.  I  had  many  things  planned 
and  arranged  last  year  for  this,  so  that  this  proves  one 
of  the  easiest  years.  Such  years  come  along  now  and 
then. 

"  My  health  has  been  unusually  good  this  year,  thus  far. 
So  unlike  has  it  been  to  the  winter  after  you  left  us,  that  1  have 
great  cause  for  gratitude.  But  at  all  times,  whether  I  have 
more  or  less  strength,  I  feel  that  I  am  fast  hastening  to  my 
eternal  home,  my  home  of  rest  in  the  bosom  of  my  God,  as 
1  hope.  Still,  I  trust*  I  may  have  a  little  more  work  to  do  on 
earth,  and  that  little  jnay  I  do  faithfully.  By  grace  I  am  the 
little  that  I  am,  and  by  grace  alone  would  I  do  the  little  that 
I  hope  to  do.  The  doctrine  of  grace,  in  all  its  aspects  and 
relations,  is  more  and  more  precious  here ;  and  what  will  it 
be  hereafter,  when  we  shall  be  permited  to  join  in  that  song 
of  Moses  and  the  Lamb  to  Him  who  has  redeemed  us,  and 
washed  our  robes,  and  made  them  white  in  his  own  blood  ! 
By  grace  we  are  redeemed,  by  grace  we  are  saved,  by  grace 
we  are  received  and  sanctified,  by  grace  we  have  our  work 
given  us,  and  by  grace  strength  and  a  heart  to  do  it. 

"  My  work  is  made  up,  as  you  know,  of  an  endless  num- 
ber of  duties,  of  nameless  littleness,  interwoven  if  not  con- 
fused together.  But  still  my  work  is  a  good  work.  By 
the  enduring  grace  of  God  am  I  permitted  to  enjoy  such 
a  goodly  heritage  of  toil  and  labor.  Every  hour  I  feel  not 
only  need  of  divine  aid  to  lead  me,  but  of  an  internal, 
divine  power,  carrying  me  along  in  the  right  path.  It  is 
ever  a  pathway  of  grace,  unmerited  grace.  When  I  am 
about  my  work,  sometimes  called  unexpectedly  and  suddenly 


408  THE   VICTORY   GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

from  one  thing  to  another,  I  whisper  in  my  heart, '  Lord, 
help  me  to  be  patient,  help  rhe  to  remember,  and  help  me  to 
be  faithful.  Lord,  enable  me  to  do  all  for  Christ's  sake, 
and  to  go  forward,  leaning  on  the  bosom  of  his  infinite 
grace.'  How  amazing  is  that  goodness  that  allows  us  to 
do  all  for  Christ's  sake,  and  always  to  pray  in  his  name ! 
May  you  experience  largely  of  that  grace  wjiich  alone  can 
make  your  spared  life  a  blessing. 

"  Much  love  to  Mr.  Burgess,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hazen,  Mrs, 
Wilder  and  Fairbanks,  and  Mrs.  Ballentine.     The  thought 
is  pleasant  to  me  that  an  early  friend  of  mine  is  your  fel 
low-laborer." 

On  the  15th  of  February,  only  about  three  weeks  before 
her  death.  Miss  Lyon  addressed  another  letter  to  Miss  Whit- 
man, in  which  she  spoke  of  her  plans  for  the  next  autumnal 
vacation.  Suggesting  a  course  for  Miss  Whitman,  during 
the  summer,  in  her  feeble  state  of  health,  she  says,  "  During 
the  vacation,  (in  the  autumn,)  I  thought  I  might  meet  you 
to  journey  together,  or  visit  and  read  together,  or  both,  some- 
where among  the  mountains  and  in  the  quiet  valleys  of  New 
England.  So  you  see  that  I  am  calculating  on  quite  a  rest- 
ing time  next  autumn  myself" 

And,  indeed,  she  has  found  that  "  resting  time,"  but  not 
on  earth.  It  was  among  celestial  scenery  that  her  autumn 
and  her  eternity  were  to  be  spent,  and  in  sweet  converse 
with  her  Savior  and  some  of  the  spirits  whom  she  had  been 
instrumental  of  guiding  to  that  blessed  world.  Often  had 
her  thoughts  turned  to  that  better  land  with  strong  desire ; 
but  it  is  obvious  she  did  not  deem  it  so  near.  One  week 
previous  she  had  said  in  a  note  to  Miss  Whitman,  "  I  often 
feel  a  longing  of  heart  to  sit'down  and  tell  you  some  of  my 
joys,  or  sorrows,  or  anxieties.  Then  I  feel  that  you  are 
absent,  indeed.  But  I  get  along.  Sometimes  I  make  a  sub- 
stitute of  Miss ,  sometimes  I  ponder  all  in  my  own 


THE    RETROSPECT.  409 

heart  alone,  and  always  I  endeavor  to  go  to  Him  who  can 
be  touched  with  the  feeling  of  our  infirmities.  This  world  is 
to  be  used  faithfully  and  diligently,  but  .only  as  a  waymark 
to  that  better  home,  where,  I  trust,  we  shall  rejoice  together 
over  many  dear  ones  gathered  into  our  Father's  house." 

As  the  letter  to  Miss  Whitman,  of  the  15th  of  February, 
has  the  latest  date  of  any  I  am  able  to  present  from  Miss 
Lyon,  it  will  be  interesting  to  quote  the  first  part  of  it,  which 
refers  to  objects  dearest  to  her  heart. 

"  I  need  not  tell  you  we  were  last  evening  [upon  the  re- 
ceipt of  a  letter  from  Miss  W.]  much  gratified.  First,  I 
thank  God  for  your  expressed  desires  to  live  for  God  alone. 
Next  would  I  thank  him  for  your  continued  desire  to  spend 
your  strength  for  the  good  of  this  precious  institution,  the 
founding  and  building  up  of  which  I  feel  more  and  more  to 
be  the  handiwork  of  God.  I  trust  that  you  will  have  fifteen 
years  added  to  your  life,  if  we  will  all  suffer  the  trial  of  your 
taking  a  thorough  rest  and  recruiting  now.  I  hope  fifteen 
years,  too,  will  be  granted  to  you  after  I  shall  cease  from 
my  labors." 

The  Retrospect. 

Distinguished  individuals,  who  are  incessantly  occupied 
from  day  to  day,  and  from  year  to  year,  in  important  duties, 
are  not  apt  to  pause  often  and  devote  much  time  to  a  ret- 
rospect of  life.  Or,  rather,  if  religious  persons,  they  are 
apt  to  resolve  to  set  apart  some  such  seasons,  and,  by  the 
constant  pressure  of  duties,  to  delay  the  time  till  the  unex- 
pected summons  comes  to  depart.  Knowing  the  incessant 
occupation  of  Miss  Lyon,  we  might  presume  such  would  be 
the  case  with  her.  But  it  was  not  so  ;  and  fortunately  some 
account  of  that  retrospect  has  been  preserved.  The  follow- 
ing interesting  details  have  been  communicated  by  Mrs. 
Louisa  Russell,  wife  of  Rev.  Ezekiel  Russell,  formerly  of 
Springfield,  and  now  of  Weymouth.  Mrs.  Russell  (then 
35 


410  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

Louisa  Billings)  was  one  of  Miss  Lyon's  teachers  in  the 
Buckland  school,  and  Mrs.  Winslow  was  her  pupil,  and  is 
now  wife  of  Rev.  Miron  Winslow,  missionary  at  Madras. 

"  It  was  in  September,  1848.  Miss  Lyon  was  spending 
the  day  in  Springfield,  and  while  walking  the  street,  she 
unexpectedly  met  my  sister,  Mrs.  Winslow,  then  on  the  eve 
of  her  second  departure  for  India.  Perceiving  that  this  was 
a  last  occasion  for  an  interview  with  one  of  her  pupils,  she 
readily  accepted  an  invitation  to  tea.  At  the  table  was  a 
gentleman  who  attended  school  with  her  at  the  academy  in 
Ashfield.  Many  years  had  since  passed.  The  gentleman, 
then  was  a  mere  lad  ;  and  though  a  lad,  he  had  a  part 
with  her  in  the  dialogue,  in  which  he  played  the  infant 
in  the  bulrushes,  while  she  performed  the  no  less  important 
part  of  the  mother.  They  had  not  met  since.  The  exhibi- 
tion had  been  forgotten,  or,  if  not  forgotten,  not  recalled. 
But  now  the  scene  was  revived,  with  the  seeming  power  of 
a  present  sensation,  and  along  with  it  a  whole  train  of  cir- 
cumstances and  events  on  which  her  active  mind  and  warm 
heart  expatiated  with  an  interest  peculiar  to  herself.  The 
effect  on  her  was  electric ;  and  the  whole  company  at  the 
table  felt  the  power  of  the  current  as  it  passed  along  the  in- 
visible wires  of  thought  and  feeling.  '  We  have  here  the 
"  eagle's  nest,"  '  said  one,  *  without  Dr.  Rush  or  his  patient. 
This  time  we  can  play  with  Hamlet  left  out.'  And  so  we 
did,  little  thinking  that  the  one  then  acting  was  to  retire  so 
soon  forever  from  the  stage. 

"  The  founder  of  that  school  in  Ashfield,  said  she,  was 
a  man  of  genuine  benevolence.  He  was  in  the  habit  of 
visiting  the  different  schools  of  the  town,  and  when  he  did,  his 
eye  was  sure  to  fix  on  every  promising  scholar,  and  a  word 
was  dropped  that  never  failed  to  awaken  brighter  hopes  and 
give  fresher  vigor  in  the  work  of  acquisition.  Perceiving 
that  many  were  in  moderate  circumstances,  and  could  not 
be  sent  abroad  for  the  purpose  of  an  education,  he  founded 


SCENES    OF    EARLY    LIFE.  411 

this  academy,  the  genial  influences  of  which,  she  remarked, 
first  wakened  to  life  her  own  mental  energies,  and  gave  her 
an  impulse  that  had  ne\er  ceased  te  act.  '  That  institution,' 
she  continued,  '  has  done  an  immense  amount  of  good. 
Many  who  otherwise  would  never  have  had  access  to  any 
thing  worthy  the  name  of  literary  advantages,  received  there 
the  first  rudiments  of  an  education.  In  that  quiet  retreat 
among  the  hills,  the  intellect  was  stirred,  the  taste  refined, 
and  intensity  given  to  the  desire  for  knowledge.  To  mind 
and  heart  that  institution  was  what  the  mountain  airs  are 
to  the  physical  powers.  And  I  can  perceive,'  she  said,  '  that 
those  who  have  gone  forth  from  it  have  brightened,  and 
cheered,  and  blessed  the  pathways  which  they  have  trod.' 
The  obligations  to  her  teacher,  Mr.  Burritt,  she  acknowl- 
edged with  warmth  and  satisfaction,  while  she  displayed  her 
usual  discrimination  in  the  analysis  of  those  mental  qualities 
for  which  that  gentleman  was  distinguished.  It  was  a  sunny 
scene  that  opened  on  her  view  at  the  table,  and  all  seemed 
to  share  with  her  in  the  exhilaration. 

"  '  How  thankful  ought  I  to  be,'  she  continued,  on  return- 
ing to  the  parlor,  *  for  the  incidents  that  have  revived  these 
pleasant  portions  of  my  life !  This  was  unexpected.  My 
duties  for  years  have  been  so  urgent,  and  my  cares  so  press- 
ing, as  to  shut  the  past  in  this  sense  from  my  thoughts.  But 
seeing  you,  Mrs.  W.,  and  your  sister,  brings  before  me,  fresh 
as  yesterday,  those  winter  scenes  in  my  Ash  field  and  Buck- 
land  schools,  over  which  the  spirit  of  the  living  God  hov- 
ered, and  moved  in  the  bosom  of  many  a  pupil,  I  trust,  the 
pulsations  of  that  life  which  is  spiritual  and  eternal.  And 
my  friend  here,  Mr.  S.,  once  the  infam  in  the  bulrushes, 
has  carried  me  still  farther  back  in  my  career,  and  made 
the  morning  shine  on  the  noon,  or  the  evening,  as  I  now 
begin  to  think  it  is,  of  my  life.  Something  of  this  I  have 
before  experienced.  Former  pupils  have  often  met  me, 
whose  countenances  had  faded  from  my  recollection,  when 


412  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

the  mention  of  their  names  would  flash  whole  trains  of  de- 
lightful associations  upon  my  mind.  This,  I  apprehend, 
will  be  one  source  of  our  happiness  in  heaven.  As  we 
move  to  and  fro  amid  the  myriads  there  gathered  on 
the  mount  of  vision,  we  shall  meet  one  after  another, 
now  forgotten,  who  will  bring  different  portions  of  our 
lives  to  our  recollection,  filling  us  with  untold  wonder 
and  joy.  O,  I  love  to  think  of  the  joy  in  reserve  for  the 
righteous,  and  of  the  various  sources  of  it  at  the  com- 
mand of  the  Redeemer,  who  is  himself  the  crowning  attrac- 
tion of  heaven.'  Mrs.  Winslow  replied,  '  Your  pupils  are 
going  up  to  participate  in  this  joy  from  all  quarters  of 
the  globe,  and  it  must  be  pleasant  for  you  to  think  of  it.' 
'  Yes,'  was  her  answer,  taking  my  sister's  hand,  '  I  often 
think  of  the  happiness,  through  grace,  of  being  permitted  to 
welcome  one  after  another,  as  they  finish  the  toils  of  earth, 
to  the  rest  of  heaven.'  '  How  strange  it  seems,  Miss  L.,'  said 
one, '  to  hear  you  speak  so  freely  of  heaven !  It  was  always 
an  earnest  desire  of  mine  that  you  should  take  up  the  subject 
that  now  so  fills  your  thoughts  in  some  of  your  morning  ex- 
ercises in  school.  You  always  spoke  then  of  duty,  of  action ; 
of  present  duties  and  of  present  action.  You  seemed 
neither  to  think  or  speak  of  any  thing  else,  and  appeared 
to  have  for  it  no  time.'  Smiling,  she  replied,  '  So  it  was.  I 
had  no  time.  I  did  what  I  deemed  of  the  most  consequence 
It  was  my  endeavor  to  discharge  present  duties,  engage  in 
present  action,  and  leave  results  more  to  themselves.  But  I 
am  changed  now.  Of  my  active  life  I  took  leave  on  my 
fiftieth  birthday.  It  was  the  most  solemn  day  of  my  life.  I 
devoted  it  to  reflection  and  prayer.  I  felt  that  half  a  cen- 
tury had  been  given  me  for  exertion,  that  incessant  oppor- 
tunities had  been  furnished  for  usefulness  in  a  noble  sphere, 
and  my  heart  went  up  to  God  in  grateful  praise  for  the  vig- 
orous health  and  disposition  that  had  enabled  me  to  bear 
such  burdens,  sustain  such  toils,  and  accomplish  something, 


A   MOST   SOLEMN    DAY.  413 

as  I  devoutly  trust,  for  the  good  of  the  world  and  the  cause 
of  Christ.  A  half  a  century !  The  thought  all  but  over- 
whelmed me.  Yet  it  had  been  given  me,  and  it  was  gone, 
gone  with  its  burdens,  its  toils,  and  its  scenes  of  precious, 
thrilling  delight.  I  was  sensible  of  deficiencies,  of  great 
deficiencies.  These  I  regretted.  But  I  could  not  regret  that 
the  toil  of  half  a  century  had  ended.  It  was  certain  that 
another  such  period  of  exertion  —  of  cheerful  exertion  it  had 
always  been  to  me  —  would  never  be  allotted  on  earth.  I 
was  certain  that  before  another  fifty  years  should  have 
elapsed  I  should  wake  up  amid  far  different  scenes,  and  far 
other  thoughts  would  fill  my  mind,  and  other  employments 
would  engage  my  attention.  I  felt  it.  There  seemed  to 
be  no  ladder  between  me  and  the  world  above.  The  gates 
were  opened,  and  I  seemed  to  stand  on  the  threshold.  It 
was  the  most  solemn  day  of  my  life.  Of  my  active  toils  I 
then  took  leave.  I  felt  that  I  could  no  longer  do  as  I  had 
done.  The  disposition  was  not  wanting,  but  waning  health 
forbade  the  expectation.  I  felt  that  the  evening  of  my  days 
had  come,  that  I  needed  repose.  It  is  evening  with  me 
now.  I  now  care  for  what  no  one  else  thinks  of  doing.'  To 
use  her  own  expression, '  I  gather  up  the  odds  and  ends,  and 
keep  the  machine  in  motion.  I  need  rest,  and  repose  is 
grateful.  I  have  laid  aside  my  armor,  and  I  now  think  more 
of  results.  My  day  has  gone,  its  evening  come,  and  it  has 
become  natural  for  me  to  think  and  speak  more  of  the  results 
of  duties  discharged,  of  actions  performed,  than  it  once  was. 
I  have  for  it  more  time,  and  a  setting  sun,  you  know,  always 
invites  to  different  thoughts  and  inspires  far  other  emotions 
than  when  shining  upon  us  with  his  morning  beams,  or 
throwing  down  upon  us  his  meridian  splendors.  I  feel  the 
change.  I  think  of  heaven,  and  I  do  love  to  think  of  those 
who,  I  trust,  are  gathered  there,  of  their  joys,  and  the 
sources  of  it.  Christ,  of  course,  is  the  great  object  of  at- 
traction there ;  but  our  mental  economy  is  wonderful,  and 
35* 


414  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

all  its  laws  will  act  there  in  eternal  harmony,  and  add  bliss 
and  rapture,  as  I  conceive,  to  that  world.  I  therefore  often 
think  of  the  happiness  of  being  permitted,  through  grace,  to 
welcome  one  after  another  of  my  acquaintance  and  former 
pupils,  who  are  now  toiling  in  every  quarter  of  the  globe  in 
the  same  glorious  work  with  myself,  to  the  rest  of  heaven. 
You,  Mrs.  W.,  are  to  leave  children.  In  a  few  days,  you 
are  to  turn  your  back  upon  them  forever.  But  it  is  a 
sacrifice  for  Christ.  Few  make  it.  Few  can  make  it.  Few 
can  conceive  of  the  thing  as  a  free-will  ofTering  to  God. 
Most  would  instinctively  shrink  from  it,  and  shrink  with 
shuddering.  But  Christ  in  such  cases  has  pledged  a  reward, 
and  a  reward  proportionably  glorious.  In  heaven,  we  shall 
never  regret  any  sacrifice,  however  painful,  or  labor,  how- 
ever protracted,  made  or  encountered  here  for  the  cause  of 
Christ.  It  will  come  back  to  us  in  imperishable  blessings 
there.' 

"  It  was  on  one  of  the  first  days  of  September.  It  had 
been  a  calm  and  brilliant  day.  The  sun  was  setting  as  the 
interview  closed  and  she  arose  to  take  leave.  The  river,  from 
the  abode  in  which  the  visit  was  paid,  seemed  to  sleep.  The 
air  was  soft  and  still ;  and  sky  and  landscape  in  and  around 
Springfield  —  always  attractive  and  soothing  when  the  sun 
sets  unclouded  in  the  summer  months  —  for  that  evening's 
livery  were  arrayed  in  their  mildest  beauty  and  glory.  The 
notes  of  the  swan  had  broken  and  died  away  on  our  ears. 
It  was  her  last  visit." 

The  first  and  last   Visit. 

The  pages  of  this  work  have  shown  that  perhaps  the  most 
attractive  of  all  the  retreats  to  which  Miss  Lyon  occasionally 
resorted  to  escape  from  care  and  labor,  and  refresh  her  weary 
spirit  with  heavenly  manna,  was  the  house  of  Hon.  Andrew  W. 
Porter,  in  Monson.  Not  only  did  she  find  there  the  largest 
hospitality,  but,  in  her  intercourse  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Porter, 


THE    FIKST    VISIT.  415 

that  religious  sympathy  and  communion  which  gratified  the 
strongest  desires  of  her  heart.  Thither  did  Providence  mer- 
cifully direct  her  steps,  when  he  would  prepare  her  for  her 
final  departure  from  the  world.  I  am  so  fortunate  as  to  be 
able  to  present  an  account  of  that  last  visit  from  the  pen  of 
Mrs.  Porter.  She  has  prefixed  to  it  a  brief  statement  of 
Miss  Lyon's  first  visit,  which  I  could  not  find  it  in  my  heart 
to  omit,  although  not  exactly  in  the  right  place. 

"  My  first  acquaintance  with  Miss  Mary  Lyon  was  in 
March,  1836.  In  answering  myself  to  the  door  bell  on  a 
snowy  day  of  that  month,  a  stranger  lady  stood  before  me- 
She  introduced  herself  as  Mary  Lyon,  of  Ipswich,  and  re- 
marked that  the  gentleman  with  whom  she  came  had  driven 
round  to  the  carriage-house  on  account  of  the  storm.  I  was 
prepared  to  give  her  a  cordial  reception,  having  a  high 
regard  for  Miss  Grant  and  Miss  Lyon,  as  principals  of  the 
Ipswich  Seminary ;  but  what  could  have  led  her  there  that 
stormy  day  I  could  not  think.  Soon  the  Rev.  Mr.  Tyler,  an 
acquaintance  of  ours,  came  in  and  introduced  her,  inquiring 
if  Mr.  Porter  was  at  home.  I  replied,  '  He  is  gone  to  Boston, 
but  we  expect  him  home  in  this  evening's  stage.'  Some 
regret  was  expressed,  but  Miss  L.  immediately  remarked, 
'  Providence  orders  all  things  right,'  and  as  soon  as  outside 
garments  were  disposed  of,  with  much  animation  and  no  less 
apparent  vigor  from  exposure  to  the  storm,  told  me  in  brief 
their  errand.  '  You  have  probably  heard,'  she  says,  '  of  the 
contemplated  female  seminary,'  (mentioning  its  principles.) 
1  told  her  I  had  heard  something  of  it,  and  read  some  articles 
in  print,  in  which  I  was  much  interested.  She  proceeded  : 
'  The  trustees  met  yesterday,  {at  South  Hadley,  1  think.)  We 
have  arrived  now  at  a  point  where  we  cannot  proceed  much 
farther  till  a  gentleman  is  found  to  superintend  the  erection 
of  the  building.  An  act  of  incorporation  has  been  obtained 
the  past  winter,  and  the  town  in  which  it  is  to  be  located  has 
been  decided  on  ;    a  gentleman  is  needed  whose    business 


416  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

talents  have  been  tested,  who  has  had  experience  in  building, 
and  one  in  whose  integrity  the  community  would  have  con- 
fidence ;  one,  too,  who  would  do  it  without  remuneration,  for 
there  are  not  sufficient  funds  to  devote  any  to  that  purpose  ; 
and  it  is  all  a  work  of  benevolence.  Last  evening  your  hus- 
band was  mentioned  to  the  trustees,  as  one  to  whom  it  was 
best  application  should  be  made.  Rev.  Messrs.  Hawks  and 
Tyler  were  appointed  to  wait  on  him,  and  I  requested  to 
accompany  them.  Now,  do  you  know  of  any  thing  in  his 
business,  health,  or  views,  that  you  would  expect  would  pre- 
vent his  considering  the  subject.'  I  told  her  he  had  sufiered 
much  the  past  year  from  a  nervous  headache,  and  had 
decided  on  a  long  journey  to  the  far  west  as  soon  as  travel- 
ling would  ajjow,  to  try  the  effect  of  relaxation  from  business, 
and  journeying.  Aside  from  that,  I  should  expect  he  would, 
at  least,  consider  the  subject. 

"  Mr.  Hawks,  who  had  now  arrived,  Mr.  Tyler,  and  Miss  L. 
held  a  consultation,  and  it  was  decided  they  should  leave  to 
attend  to  their  Sabbath  appointments,  and  Miss  L.  remain,  as 
I  had  invited  her  to  do,  till  the  next  week.  One  of  the  gen- 
tlemen was  to  return  on  Monday.  Miss  L.  remarked,  '  If 
this  enterprise  was  to  go  forward,  the  Lord  had  some  one 
provided  for  this  service,  and  it  might  be  Mr.  Porter,  and  it 
might  not.' 

"  After  tea  she  proposed  going  to  her  room,  as  Mr.  Porter 
would  be  fatigued  when  he  arrived,  and  she  was  up  till  a  late 
hour  the  night  previous. 

"  Not  a  word  was  named  about  the  proposed  seminary  till 
Monday.  Some  ten  or  twelve  years  after,  she  told  me  those 
were  nights  of  prayer  with  her ;  and  '  the  Lord,'  said  she, 
'  not  only  answered  my  prayer  in  inclining  your  husband  to 
engage  in  the  work,  but  much  more  than  I  asked.  He  gave 
me  in  yourself  and  Mr.  P.  personal  friends,  and  at  your 
house  a  home  whenever  I  have  needed  quiet  and  rest.  O, 
that  tirst  visit,'  she  remarked,  '  and  that  chamber  where  I 


THE    LAST    VISIT.  417 

commended  anew  the  enterprise  to  God,  and  could  finally 
submit  your  husband's  acceptance  and  all  to  him  ! ' 

"  I  have  told  you  of  her  first  visit  to  our  house  ;  I  will  now 
tell  you  of  her  last. 

"  When  at  the  seminary  on  the  Thanksgiving  occasion  pre- 
vious to  her  death,  I  said  to  Miss  L.,  '  You  know  an  invitation 
to  spend  your  vacations  with  us  is  stereotyped ;  may  we  not 
expect  you  in  the  winter  vacation  ?  '  She  replied,  '  I  think 
I  shall  come  previous  to  vacation,  and  rest,  for  circles  are  so 
broken  up  then,  that  it  is  more  difficult  getting  along  than  in 
the  term  time.  She  came,  however,  in  that  vacation ;  and 
the  first  evening  after  she  arrived,  she  told  me,  '  that  what 
decided  her  to  come  after  concluding  she  should  remain  at 
the  seminary  during  vacation  was,  she  had  never  felt  the 
responsibility  of  giving  religious  instruction  as  this  winter, 
O,  when  I  come  before  those  young  immortals  to  teach  them 
eternal  truths,  I  am  borne  down  with  a  sense  of  its  impor- 
tance as  never  before,  and  I  wanted  to  come  to  my  resting- 
liome^  (as  she  was  wont  to  call  our  house,)  '  where,  in  that 
quiet  chamber,  I  could  seek  anew  for  wisdom,  grace,  and 
strength  for  the  great  work.' 

"  The  teachers,  she  said,  were  very  urgent  she  should 
go  to  New  York  to  sit  for  her  portrait ;  so  much  so,  that  she 
was  reluctant  not  to  comply  with  their  kind  request,  and 
accept  of  their  generous  offer  to  bear  all  the  expense.  '  But 
to  me,'  she  added,  '  it  seemed  of  so  little  consequence  to 
have  my  picture  taken,  compared  with  seeking  a  better  prep- 
aration for  my  important  duties,  that  I  could  not  comply.' 

"  Every  thing  in  her  conversation  and  appearance  indi- 
cated a  '  fresh  anointing.'  All  business  with  regard  to  the 
seminary  was  laid  aside.  Previously,  she  had  invariably 
come  with  account  books,  and  a  list  of  various  items  of  busi- 
ness to  consult  Mr.  P.  about ;  and  as  soon  as  he  came  in, 
business  was  the  theme.     Now  she  introduced  no  subject  of 


418  THE    VICTORY    GAINED    AND    SECURED. 

business  but  twice  during  her  stay,  and  one  of  those  times 
said  but  a.  few  words. 

"  Mr.  Porter  said  to  me  on  Sabbath  eve,  (she  came 
the  Friday  previous,)  '  Does  not  Miss  L.  seem  unusually 
spiritual  ?  '  I  replied,  '  I  think  so,  evidently  ;  I  never  saw 
her  so  heavenly-minded.'  Little  did  I  then  think  she  was 
pluming  her  wings  for  her  upward  flight.  She  appeared  as 
well  as  I  ever  saw  her,  and  repeatedly  spoke  with  gratitude 
of  her  excellent  health.  At  our  dinner  table,  a  day  or  two 
previous  to  her  leaving,  she  remarked,  playfully,  '  Mr.  P., 
you  and  Mrs.  P.  have  been  afraid  I  should  break  down  at 
the  seminary,  but,'  (dropping  her  knife  and  fork,  and  straight- 
ening up,)  '  Do  you  not  think  I  am  in  pretty  good  trim  ?  I 
have  an  excellent  appetite,  I  sleep  like  a  child,  and  have 
none  of  that  chilliness  I  have  had  when  rather  exhausted 
with  my  labors ;  I  feel  quite  vigorous.'  We  both  told  her 
Ave  thought  we  had  not  seen  her  better,  and  the  conclusion 
of  us  all  was,  that  she  had  as  good  a  prospect  of  physical 
ability  to  labor  on  at  the  seminary  for  ten  years  to  come,  as 
for  the  past  ten  years. 

"  Except  coming  down  to  prayers  and  family  worship,  she 
spent  the  mornings  till  our  hour  for  dinner  in  her  chamber. 
I  had  frequent  occasions  to  go  to  her  room,  and  always  found 
her  with  her  Bible,  Hodge's  Way  of  Life,  or  Bible  History 
of  Prayer,  by  Goodrich,  and  the  remarks  she  would  make 
showed  an  elevated  state  of  devotional  feeling. 

"  One  morning,  I  went  soon  after  breakfast,  and  found  her 
with  a  large  Bible  open  at  Solomon's  Song.  She  told  me 
she  rose  very  early  that  morning,  and  had  read  through  that 
book,  (Solomon's  Song.)  '  And  I  think  I  have  never  en- 
joyed it  so  before,  though  I  have  read  it  often  for  a 
few  years  past,  I  have  been  able  to  drop  the  figure,  and 
view  Christ's  strong  love  to  the  church.  O,  how  wonderful 
this  love !     What  infinite  condescension,  in  his  exalted  state, 


CHILDISH    DAYS.  419 

to  leave  the  realms  of  purity,  and  dwell  with  fallen,  polluted 
man !  Yet  by  it  he  lost  none  of  his  dignity.''  From  this 
she  drew  the  inference,  that  when,  from  the  principle  of 
benevolence,  we  voluntarily  dwelt  an^ong  the  wicked,  we 
need  not  be  degraded. 

"  She  seemed,  in  conversation,  to  dwell  more  on  the  scenes 
of  childhood  and  youth  than  I  had  ever  known  her.  One 
afternoon,  she  told  us  of  her  maternal  grandfather,  who  was 
a  Baptist  clergyman.  '  I  think,'  she  says,  '  he  was  a  most 
holy  man.  When  a  child,  I  can  remember  my  conviction 
that  he  loved  and  served  God,  and  was  living  for  another 
world,  not  this.  When  I  was  about  ten  years  old,  there  waa^ 
what  was  called  a  reformation  among  his  people,  and  many 
were  baptize!!.  I  should  think  it  was  a  genuine  work  of 
grace.  My  mind  was  then  much  impressed  by  hearing  his 
conversation  with  those  who  came  to  him  under  conviction 
for  sin,  as  it  was  termed,  and  I  never  lost  those  impressions. 
He  was  remarkable  for  praying  much  for  his  posterity,  that 
none  of  them  might  ever  be  left  to  slight  the  offers  of  mercy 
through  a  Savior.  When  I  last  visited  my  native  place,  I 
went  with  a  relative  to  two  graveyards  where  forty-two  of  his 
descendants  are  buried.  I  had  a  delightful  view  of  the  faith- 
fulness of  God  to  his  believing  people.  They  had  all  left  a 
comforting  evidence  they  had  died  in  the  faith.'  She  was 
enthusiastic  in  talking  of  him,  and  said,  '  What  a  blessing  to 
have  such  a  grandfather !  how  to  be  prized  above  all  the 
world  calls  great.' 

"  When  she  left  us,  I  felt,  more  than  ever  before,  that  it 
was  a  rare  privilege  to  enjoy  her  personal  friendship,  and 
have  her  so  frequently  an  inmate  of  our  family.  Ever  since 
my  first  acquaintance  with  Miss  L.,  I  had  thought  I  had  never 
seen  the  blessed  principles  and  precepts  of  the  gospel  of 
Christ  so  strikingly  exemplified  in  any  of  his  professed  fol- 
lowers. But  on  account  of  her  active  business  habits,  and 
constantly  planning  for  improvements  in  her  beloved  semi- 


420  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

nary,  I  had  not  seen  exhibited  that  contemplative,  devotional 
state  of  mind  which  was  developed  in  this  visit.  There  was 
evinced  an  absorbing  love  to  the  Lord  Jesus ;  Christ  was 
her  theme,  and  the  privilege  of  laboring  for  him,  and  making 
sacrifices  for  his  cause,  dwelt  on  much.  I  think  I  have  never 
witnessed  a  nearer  approach  to  the  mercy  seat  than  was  ap- 
parent in  social  prayer  just  before  leaving.  It  was  almost 
the  last  sound  of  her  voice  I  ever  heard. 

"  In  the  three  weeks  that  intervened  between  this  and  her 
last  sickness,  she  wrote  me  three  or  four  times.  The  same 
spirit  was  manifest.  Just  the  day  that  a  letter  came  in  the 
evening's  mail  informing  us  of  her  illness,  and  desiring  to  have 
Mr.  P.  come  to  South  Hadley,  I  had  been  looking  over  and 
filing  away  letters.  I  was  quite  unwell,  and  it  affected  me 
with  dizziness  and  faintness,  as  it  usually  did.  The  feeling 
came  over  me.  Why  do  I  thus  retain  my  letters,  and  suffer  so 
much  in  occasionally  looking  them  over  ?  I  have  now  no 
daughter  who  might  enjoy  reviewing  them,  and  in  a  moment 
of  despondency  I  put  a  large  quantity  into  the  stove.  At 
night,  when  a  letter  from  a  teacher  told  us  Miss  L.  -was 
sick,  I  was  filled  with  regret,  for  I  presume  fifty  of  them 
were  from  her.  But  it  was  too  late  ;  Providence  had  doubt- 
less some  wise  design  in  permitting  it.  Miss  Whitman,  who 
roomed  with  her,  says  she  wrote  more  frequently  to  me,  the 
last  three  or  four  years,  than  to  any  other  individual.  Her 
benevolent,  sympathizing  heart  sought  thus  to  relieve,  as 
much  as  she  could,  my  loneliness,  in  my  feeble,  bereaved  state. 
Some  letters,  written  during  seasons  of  religious  interest  in 
the  seminary,  were  exceedingly  valuable.  I  can  hardly  for- 
give myself  the  rash  act  of  destroying  them,  or  account  for 
it  either,  as  it  is  unlike  my  disposition  or  habits." 

The  last  Instruction  and  the  Departure. 

It  sometimes  happens  that  when  the  time  has  come  for 
those  greatly  beloved,  and  in  stations  of  great  usefulness,  to 


THE  DEPARTURE  SUDDEN.    >  421 

die,  Providence  commissions  the  destroyer  to  execute  his 
work  in  a  sudden  and  distressing  manner.  Thus  is  the  an- 
guish  of  the  separation  shortened  ;  and  though  nature  may- 
murmur,  grace  looks  upon  such  a  course  as  an  indication  of 
special  mercy.  Such  is  the  aspect  in  which  we  ought  to  re- 
gard the  sickness  and  death  of  Miss  Lyon.  They  came  sud- 
denly and  unexpectedly,  and  reason  was  taken  away  also. 
But  before  that  took  place,  an  opportunity  was  given  for  her 
to  leave  in  the  hearts  of  her  pupils  some  of  the  noblest  sen- 
timents ever  uttered  by  uninspired  mortals.  These  consti- 
tuted her  "  Last  Instruction."  The  "  Departure,"  which  fol- 
lowed, had  nothing  in  it  very  peculiar.  She  sunk  rapidly 
under  the  power  of  strong  disease,  against  which  her  vigorous 
constitution  struggled  mightily.  Indeed,  had  there  not  been 
an  accumulation  of  circumstances  at  the  time  of  her  sickness, 
adapted  powerfully  to  disturb  her  feelings  and  awaken  a  mor- 
bid excitement  in  her  nervous  system,  she  would  doubtless 
have  recovered.  But  these  circumstances,  as  well  as  every 
thing  else  relating  to  the  event,  were  ordered  by  a  wise  and 
benevolent  Providence  ;  and  our  proper  feeling  should  be, 
The  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away ;  blessed  be  the 
name  of  the  Lord.  % 

The  details  of  this  trying  event,  and  of  the  last  instruction 
given  by  Miss  Lyon  to  the  seminary,  are  contained  in  the 
journal  kept  there  for  the  missionaries  ;  and  I  have  liberty 
to  make  the  following  extracts  :  — 

"  March  9,  1849.  Since  our  last  date,  we  have  been  led 
through  scenes  of  deep,  deep  affliction.  About  four  weeks  ago, 
one  of  our  young  ladies  had  a  severe  attack  of  influenza,  with 
swelling  in  the  throat,  somewhat  like  quinsy.  An  additional 
cold  brought  on  erysipelas,  and  she  was  quite  sick  with  it. 
For  two  or  three  days,  we  saw  no  cause  for  alarm  in  her  case, 
as  we  supposed  it  to  be  a  common  form  of  the  disease ;  but 
36 


422  THE    VICTORY   GAINED    AND    SECURED. 

it  proved  to  be  the  malignant  erysipelas,  so  prevalent  and  so 
fatal  in  many  places  four  or  five  years  since.  On  Wednes- 
day, February  21,  it  became  evident  that  she  must  die  very 
soon.  The  disease  settled  upon  the  brain,  congestion  fol- 
lowed, and  she  lay  in  a  senseless  state,  from  which  nothing 
could  arouse  her.  It  was  thought  she  could  not  live  through 
the  night.  This  was  to  us  all  a  most  unexpected  stroke. 
The  painful  intelligence  must  be  communicated  to  her 
parents  in  Weare,  New  Hampshire,  who,  as  yet,  knew 
nothing  of  her  sickness.  The  brief  notice  that  she  was  very 
sick,  and  could  live  but  a  few  hours,  was  sent  by  private 
conveyance,  telegraph  and  mail,  and  reached  them  in  about 
thirty-six  hours.  The  anxious  father,  in  entire  suspense 
with  regard  to  the  circumstances  of  her  sickness,  started  im- 
mediately, and  arrived  Friday  evening,  just  in  season  to  see 
her  die.  She  recognized  him,  but  was  too  far  gone  to  say 
any  thing.  There  had  never  been  a  death  here,  when  the 
circumstances  seemed  more  trying  than  in  this  case.  But 
we  knew  not  that  a  still  heavier  affliction  awaited  us.  We 
thought  not  that  death  would  very  soon  come  again,  and  take 
from  us  our  dearly-loved  Miss  Lyon.  But  so  it  was.  For 
about  two  weeks  before^^iss  W.-  was  taken  down  so  sud- 
denly. Miss  Lyon  had  had  something  of  the  influenza  hang- 
ing about  her,  but  had  not  allowed  herself  to  give  up  to  it  at 
all.  When  the  intelligence  of  Miss  W.'s  condition  was  com- 
municated to  her,  she  was  in  a  state  to  feel  most  deeply  all 
that  was  trying  in  the  case.  She  had  just  taken  more  cold, 
was  more  fatigued  than  usual,  and  had  one  of  her  hard  head- 
aches coming  on.  The  next  day  was  the  annual  fast  for 
literary  institutions,  and  she*  felt  much  anxiety  to  have  the 
day  blessed  to  us.  The  result  of  all  was,  such  a  headache 
and  nervous  excitement,  that  she  could  not  sleep  that  night, 
and  the  next  morning  she  was  scarcely  able  to  lift  her  head 
from  her  pillow.  She  attended  devotions,  but  was  able  to 
say  only  a  very  few  words.     We  have  never  seen  her  appear 


MISS  lyon's  sickness.  423 

so  sick  in  the  hall  as  she  did  that  morning.  She  was  kept 
as  quiet  as  possible  during  the  day,  slept  well  that  night,  and 
on  Friday  seemed  better.  She  went  into  the  hall  both  in  the 
morning  and  afternoon.  Those  who  heard  her  will  not  soon 
forget  her  remarks  on  that  day..  Would  that  we  could  con- 
vey to  you  her  words,  her  manner,  and  the  impression  made 
upon  our  minds.     But  this  we  cannot  do. 

"  She  wished  to  lead  us  to  turn  from  the  trj'ing  circum- 
stances in  which  we  were  placed,  and  follow  that  dear  dying 
one  up  to  the  '  celestial  city,'  and,  as  its  pearly  gates  opened 
to  receive  her,  look  in,  and,  catch  a  glimpse  of  its  glories. 
She  seemed  to  have  a  most  enrapturing  view  of  heaven,  and, 
with  a  full  heart,  exclaimed,  '  O,  if  it  were  I,  how  happy  I 
should  be  to  go ! '  but  added,  '  Not  that  1  would  be  un- 
clothed, while  I  can  do  any  thing  for  you,  my  dear  children.' 
She  then  addressed  the  impenitent  in  a  most  impressive  man- 
ner, and  expressed  much  gratitude  that  the  dying  one  was 
not  of  their  number.  A  sense  of  the  misery  of  the  lost 
seemed  to  come  over  her,  as  she  said,  with  much  feeling, 
'  If  one  of  you  were  on  that  dying  bed,  I  could  not  take  you 
by  the  hand  and  go  with  you  down  to  that  world  of  despair. 
It  would  be  too  painful  for  me.  I  should  feel  that  I  must 
draw  the  veil  and  leave  you.'  She  urged  them  to  enter  at 
once  upon  the  service  of  Christ,  not  from  fear  of  death,  but 
from  a  view  of  his  infinite  perfections,  and  his  claims  upon 
them.  Miss  Wingate's  disease  was  of  a  form  so  malignant, 
and  so  dreaded,  that  there  was  a  tendency  to  excitement. 
Miss  Lyon  read  to  us  some  passages  from  the  Bible  which 
speak  of  the  fear  of  God,  and  made  some  remarks  in  con- 
nection. She  looked  upon  all  anxiety  about  the  future  as 
distrust  of  God,  and  asked,  '  Shall  we  fear  what  he  is  about 
to  do  ? '  adding,  '  There  is  nothing  in  the  universe  that  I  am 
afraid  of,  but  that  I  shall  not  know  and  do  all  my  duty.' 
Miss  Wingate  died  about  ten  o'clock  that  evening,  and  it 
was  important  that  her  father  and  sister  should  leave  with 


424  THE    VICTORY   GAINED    AND    SECURED. 

the  remains  early  the  next  morning.  Of  course,  there  was 
much  to  be  done  to  get  every  thing  in  readiness.  Much 
effort  was  made  to  relieve  Miss  Lyon  entirely  from  care  and 
anxiety,  and  every  thing  was  done  faithfully  and  promptly. 
Still  she  did  not  sleep.  She  )iad  felt  a  strong  desire  to  have 
the  father  arrive  before  death  had  done  its  work,  and  she 
said  she  was  '  so  filled  with  gratitude  to  God  for  his  good- 
ness in  this  respect,  that  she  could  not  rest.'  The  next 
morning,  her  whole  appearance  indicated  too  plainly  that  she 
was  suffering  from  severe  headache  and  intense  mental  ex- 
citement. She  slept  considerably  during  the  day,  and  as  she 
seemed  quite  comfortable,  we  fondly  hoped  that,  after  the 
rest  of  the  night,  she  would  be  quite  well ;  but  that  evening's 
mail  brought  the  distressing  intelligence  of  the  death  of  a 
nephew  by  suicide  while  deranged,  and  without  leaving  evi- 
dence that  he  was  a  Christian.  With  her  clear  views  of  what 
it  is  for  a  soul  to  be  lost,  and  her  deep  feeling  in  regard  to  it, 
this  intelligence,  coming  when  she  was  in  that  weak  state, 
was  too  much  for  her,  and  that  was  not  only  a  sleepless 
night,  but  a  night  of  anguish.  We  could  have  wished  that 
letter  had  not  come  just  at  that  time.  Still  we  know  that  that, 
as  well  as  every  other  circumstance,  was  ordered  in  infinite 
wisdom,  and  we  would  not  complain.  As  might  be  expected 
after  such  a  night,  the  morning  found  her  worse.  She  has 
had  an  affection  in  her  head  somewhat  like  scrofula,  which 
has  troubled  her  more  or  less  for  years.  It  has  been  worse 
than  usual  all  this  winter.  In  past  seasons,  when  she  has 
had  a  cold,  there  has  been  a  swelling  of  the  face  connected 
with  this  difficulty.  On  Saturday,  there  was  some  swelling, 
and  it  increased  on  the  Sabbath,  but  did  not  appear  like  ery- 
sipelas till  Sabbath  evening.  Monday  morning,  her  physician 
pronounced  it  a  mild  form  of  the  epidemic  erysipelas,  —  not 
malignant,  like  Miss  Wingate's.  He  expressed  much  fear 
for  the  result,  not  from  the  disease,  but  on  account  of  her 
peculiar  temperament,  her  age,  the  state  of  her  constitution, 


CLOSING    SCENE.  425 

her  past  labors,  and  the  extreme  nervous  excitement  from 
which  she  was  sufTering  when  taken.  We  felt  exceedingly 
anxious  for  her.  For  a  time,  every  thing  seemed  encouraging. 
There  was  scarcely  an  unfavorable  symptom  in  her  case. 
The  disease  seemed  to  be  entirely  under  control.  Wednes- 
day, it  reached  its  crisis,  and  then  the  swelling  began  grad- 
ually to  disappear  where  it  first  appeared.  We  had  looked 
forward  to  this  turning-point  with  intense  anxiety,  as  we  sup- 
posed it  to  be  the  critical  time  with  her.  When  Thursday 
morning  came,  the  swelling  had  continued  to  lessen,  and  she 
seemed  no  worse,  and  for  a  litde  time  our  anxiety  was  re- 
lieved. But  she  was  not  as  much  better  during  the  day  as 
we  hoped  she  would  be.  As  we  have  before  said,  her  nervous 
system  was  intensely  excited  when  the  erysipelas  came  on, 
and  as  the  disease  left  her,  the  excitement  returned.  This 
was  the  only  unfavorable  symptom.  There  was  a  free  cir- 
culation, her  pulse  was  good,  and  her  skin  seemed  in  a  nat- 
ural state.  Every  effort  was  made  to  keep  her  quiet,  but  all 
was  in  vain.  That  excitement  increased  until  it  became  in- 
sanity ;  not  the  delirium  frequently  attendant  upon  fever,  but 
real  mental  derangement.  For  nearly  three  days,  she 
talked  day  and  night,  without  intermission,  in  a  worried,  ex- 
cited manner.  This,  in  her  weak  state,  produced  congestion 
of  the  brain,  of  which  she  died  last  Monday  evening,  March 
5.  During  the  day,  she  said  very  little,  and  seemed  to 
be  in  an  unconscious  state  most  of  the  time.  Early  in  the 
evening,  her  pastor,  Mr.  L.,  called  to  see  her.  His  voice 
seemed  to  recall  her  to  consciousness  for  a  little  time.  He 
said  to  her,  '  Christ  precious.'  She  seemed  to  summon  up 
all  her  energies  to  make  one  great  effort,  raised  both  hands 
and  clinched  them,  lifted  her  head  from  her  pillow,  and 
exclaimed  audibly  and  with  emphasis,  '  Yes.'  This  was  the 
last  word  she  uttered.  Short  passages  of  Scripture  were 
repeated,  and  her  countenance  showed  that  she  understood 
and  appreciated  them.  Those  which  spoke  of  the  glory  of 
36* 


426  THE    VICTORY   GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

God  seemed  to  interest  her  most.  Mr.  L.  asked,  '  Have  you 
trusted  Christ  too  much  ?  '  She  made  an  effort  to  speak, 
but  had  not  sufficient  strength.  Seeing  this,  he  said  to  her, 
'  You  need  not  speak  ;  God  can  be  glorified  in  silence.'  As 
he  said  this,  an  indescribable  smile  came  over  her  counte- 
nance. Mr.  L.,  speaking  of  it,  said, '  O,  that  soul  is  full  of 
the  love  of  the  Savior.'  This  moment  of  consciousness, 
this  last  ray  from  her  setting  sun,  was  very  precious  to  us. 
In  about  an  hour  after,  her  freed  spirit  was  mingling  in  the 
glories  of  heaven.  We  thought  of  those  almost '  last  words,' 
'  O,  if  it  was  I,  how  happy  I  should  be  to  go  ! '  If  the  thought 
of  these  glories  was  so  enrapturing  to  her,  what  must  the 
reality  be }  Mourn  for  her  we  cannot.  If  there  ever  was 
a  Christian  eminently  prepared  for  heaven,  surely  she  was 
one.  She  has  been  unusually  well  this  winter,  and  with  her 
increase  of  physical  strength  there  has  been  an  increase  of 
spiritual  strength.  We  have  never  known-  her  present  the 
truth  in  a  more  clear,  impressive  manner,  or  speak  more 
from  the  fulness  of  her  heart,  than  she  has  this  winter, 
especially  the  few  times  she  has  met  us  this  term.  Her  in- 
creased spirituality  has  manifested  itself  in  her  daily  famil- 
iar intercourse,  as  well  as  in  her  instructions  in  the  hall. 

"  She  spent  her  last  vacation  with  Deacon  and  Mrs.  P.,  of 
Monson,"  (as  already  described.)  "  When  she  returned  to  us, 
she  appeared  as  if  she  had  received  anew  '  an  unction  from 
the  Holy  One.'  There  was  a  vividness  in  her  thoughts,  a 
life  and  a  power  in  her  words,  that  seemed  irresistible.  As 
we  were  alone  with  her  in  her  room  one  day,  but  a  very 
short  time  before  her  sickness,  she  said  to  us,  familiarly, '  1 
don't  know  why  it  is  that  my  mind  is  so  active.  It  seems  to 
me,  sometimes,  as  though  I  am  doing  my  last  work.'  We 
thought  not  then  that  those  were  prophetic  words.  But  how 
soon  were  we  made  to  feel  their  truth  !  We  would  not  recall 
her  from  that  *  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory'  which 


THE    F0NERAL.  427 

is  now  hers.  We  would  not  have  her  lay  aside  her  harp  of 
gold,  and  come  back  to  this  sinful,  sorrowing  world.  We 
would  not  murmuringly  ask,  '  Why  was  she  not  spared  to  us 
a  little  longer  ?  '  Rather  would  we  be  grateful  to  the  Giver 
of  all  good  that  we  have  ever  known  her,  that  her  light  has 
shone  upon  us  and  the  world  so  long  and  so  brilliantly. 
Still,  we  may  and  must  weep  for  our  loss.  We  cannot  tell 
you  how  dark,  how  trying  these  last  days  have  been  to  us. 
You  can  scarcely  conceive  of  the  feeling  of  bereavement, 
of  desolateness,  that  came  over  us,  when  we  found  she  was 
really  gone.  It  was  to  us  like  the  blotting  of  the  sun  out  of 
the  heavens  at  midday.  There  is  much  that  is  afflictive  in 
the  circumstances  of  her  removal.  Sometimes,  we  are 
almost  ready  to  ask,  '  Can  it  be  that  every  circumstance  is 
ordered  in  infinite  wisdom  ?  '  Yet  we  will  not  indulge  a 
murmuring  thought.  It  is  exceedingly  trying  to  have  her 
taken  away  so  suddenly,  so  unexpectedly,  in  Miss  W.'s  ab- 
sence, when  she  seems  so  essential  to  us,  and  just  at  this 
time,  when  it  appears  so  desirable  that  she  should  make 
that  improvement  of  Miss  Wingate's  death  which  she  so 
well  knew  how  to  make.  It  is  trying  beyond  measure  to 
have  the  light  of  her  last  days  obscured  by  such  a  dark 
cloud.  Yet  can  we  not  see  wisdom  in  this  seemingly  mys- 
terious providence  ?  For,  if  hers  had  been  such  a  trium- 
phant death  bed  as  we  would  have  asked  for  her,  might  we 
not  have  been  tempted  to  look  more  at  that,  and  less  at  her 
bright  example  ?  O,  what  are  a  thousand  death  heels  to  such 
a  life  as  hers  ! 

"The  funeral  was  on  Thursday,  March  8,  at  two  o'clock, 
P.  M.  Previously,  the  corpse  had  been  kept  in  the  little 
room  adjoining  the  seminary  hall  on  the  south  side.  It  has 
been  used  for  a  similar  purpose  several  times  before.  When 
Miss  Wingate  was  laid  there.  Miss  Lyon  spoke  of  it  as 
*  that  sacred  little  room.'      It  is  doubly  sacred  now.      The 


428  THE    VICTORY   GAINED    AND    SECURED. 

young  ladies  took  their  last  look  of  that  loved  countenance 
before  going  to  church.  There  was  a  peaceful,  pleasant, 
natural  expression,  that  we  scarcely  dared  to  hope  for. 
This  was  a  great  comfort  to  us,  for  during  her  sickness  she 
looked  so  unlike  herself,  that  friends  would  not  have  recog- 
nized her.  After  prayer  in  the  seminary  hall,  by  Mr.  Lau- 
rie, we  walked  in  procession  to  the  church.  There  were 
only  three  relatives  present  —  Mr.  Wing,  her  brother-in-law, 
his  son,  and  Mrs.  Burgess's  brother.  These  walked  next  to 
the  coffin  ;  then,  in  order,  the  trustees  of  the  institution,  the 
teachers,  the  senior  class,  the  remainder  of  the  school,  and 
friends  with  us  from  abroad.  We  were  forcibly  reminded 
of  those  anniversary  occasions,  when  we  have  so  many 
times  walked  in  procession  and  taken  our  seats  in  church  in 
a  similar  manner;  and  the  thought  that  we  were  for  the  last 
time  following  that  dear  one  who  had  always  been  with  us 
was  almost  overwhelming. 

"  All  the  services  in  church  were  impressive.  Prayers 
were  offered  by  two  of  the  trustees.  Rev.  Mr.  Harris,  of 
Conway,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Swift,  of  Northampton.  The  sermon 
was  preached  by  Rev.  Dr.  Humphrey,  from  the  texts,  '  The 
path  of  the  just  is  as  the  shining  light,  that  shineth  more 
and  more  unto  the  perfect  day,'  '  The  memory  of  the 
just  is  blessed.'  They  were  afflicted  in  our  affliction,  and 
knew  how  to  guide  our  thoughts  and  lead  us  to  the  throne 
of  grace.  The  hymns  sung  were  those  commencing,  '  God 
moves  in  a  mysterious  way,'  *  Servant  of  Christ,  well  done,' 
and  '  Why  do  we  mourn  departing  friends  ? '  We  were  in- 
terested in  having  this  last  one  sung,  because  it  was  the  one 
our  dear  Miss  Lyon  read  to  us  as  expressive  of  her  feelings, 
when  we  were  assembled  in  the  hall  just  before  Mr.  Wingate 
left  us  with  the  remains  of  his  daughter.  This  was  the  last 
time  we  heard  her  voice  in  that  hall.  We  have  mentioned 
that  the  evening  before,  which  was  the  last  time  she  met  us 
at  the  table,  she  read  the  fifth  chapter  of  2  Corinthians. 


I  a^s-fn 


MONUMENT.  429 

"  From  church  the  procession  moved  to  the  grave.     This 
is  "n  seiiiljia: '.  y^vt    .".».•'' • 
Ixj  •f'stj-ictiy  ■se'-'rnrrofn  ntost  q. 
liaiidlna.     l'<  i'^  a  saoreci  .-.{Kit,  and  irmcy  •*>'!  ]n^> 
/f.  ft?<;.  iHth'i.rr.i  ?iroi'p(?  'i*e  j^rave.  tlis  !w;n»«'i  !-  uj         ..!■ 
p. I  :o  th*,     >'5i    ■  >.'f-' -iT  "^'-eiiiior,     ■J'.eiiji-   ihif-.'    ■.    .■:'•:    .1 
ii.iAo  therti  apf.ii>pi-rh>c       M»,  L   '<!•■   ':■  >f.  •;"  is  ■'     'i,  r-i  , 
'bi;  iha.nks  iA  tbf   m«.>r.M':Mv  <•",,.■•   ■■  ,    ■•  -jj    •'I'lbY  .         I-jb 

■'■.I     sffiTf*.  h**.  '  we  ate  u/-/  n;  •  hr.  v.; .  :  ■    .   ■'.  7 

•if.f.::--,3ivij    :c'ua,-ij3,  d©&i;fned   {i>   .'.  ■  i     ■ 

rovemcni  of  tho  cv^jd:.  Wo  nt:>;^'  '••.)>■  T'  ;>  -v  •.  .  I 
jiir  hearts  were  na  we  vo(ur...'d  t'r.i.'.t  t't.  ■.  y^--.'"*  •  /  ;.  ■  •,'  ;• 
!nte  h'-uso.     All  the  rrvia  tees,  and  'ic-.'/   .:  !►<.■!•••■.•. 

v.'erc  here  ycstf^nlay.     Deacou   P.  %*'■:        '      -     :>;^  • 
the  time  during  Mtna  f^'oa's  sick!' 
k  was  VLrrr  grai'iying  lo  our  fi  <  ii 
■  ii  t'.-'i       The  frn-£'".>  rti!  oli':t\>c'.l  ■ 
?\    ;; Mhiziug    and    r<j^y<-!rfu 
V.  •-•  ;  'id  t.i.'.;  leache-.?  had  a 

•'.  ,"•  <jri;d  as  a  ciaJy  r 
jvav-i,.  ii  encoui-agoi?  us  ver_. 
-'  :kir>g  divine  strenfedi  nrd 

rustiics  M  ish  us  to  go  oi- . 
o'i  \»iss  LvvJiTs  principle'' 
,'1  ■■  there  is  a  sncn  d  ir  . 
r.ir  as  is  m  ciii- 

^'■^r-\:  tl;e    .v  ■>' 


Sfei 


'<*;. 
"I^--, 


m 


MONUMENT.  429 

"  From  church  the  procession  moved  to  the  grave.  This 
is  on  seminary  ground,  a  little  south  of  the  orchard.  It  can 
be  distinctly  seen  from  most  of  the  rooms  on  that  side  of  the 
building.  It  is  a  sacred  spot,  and  many  will  love  to  visit  it. 
As  we  gathered  around  the  grave,  the  school  sung  the  words 
set  to  the  tune  '  Mount  Vernon,'  altering  them  a  little  to 
make  them  appropriate.  Mr.  L.  did  not,  as  is  usual,  return 
the  thanks  of  the  mourners  for  the  sympathy  manifested  ; 
'  for,'  said  he,  '  we  are  all  mourners ; '  but  he  made  a  few 
impressive  remarks,  designed  to  lead  us  all  to  a  suitable 
improvement  of  the  event.  We  need  not  tell  you  how  sad 
our  hearts  were  as  we  returned  from  that  grave  to  this  deso- 
late house.  All  the  trustees,  and  nearly  all  of  their  wives, 
were  here  yesterday.  Deacon  P.  was  with  us  about  half 
the  time  during  Miss  Lyon's  sickness,  and  after  her  death. 
It  was  very  gratifying  to  our  feelings  to  have  him  here  so 
much.  The  trustees  all  cheered  and  comforted  us  by  their 
sympathizing  and  prayerful  spirit.  Last  evening,  their 
wives  and  the  teachers  had  a  precious  little  prayer  meeting. 
They  pledged  us  a  daily  remembrance  at  the  throne  of 
grace.  It  encourages  us  very  much  to  know  that  others  are 
seeking  divine  strength  and  divine  guidance  for  us.  The 
trustees  wish  us  to  go  on,  and  carry  out  as  fully  as  possible 
all  Miss  Lyon's  principles  and  plans  ;  and  we  feel  strongly 
that  there  is  a  sacred  obligation  resting  upon  us  to  do  this  as 
far  as  is  in  our  power." 

Over  the  grave  of  Miss  Lyon  a  beautiful  monument  of 
white  Italian  marble  was  erected  a  few  months  after  her 
burial.  This  is  defended  by  an  iron  railing  about  thirty  feet 
square.  The  monument  is  a  single  square  column,  resting 
on  a  pedestal  of  granite.  But  the  annexed  sketch  renders 
description  unnecessary.  The  inscriptions  on  the  four  sides 
are  as  follows  :  — 


430  THE    VICTORY   GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

Oh  the  west  side. 

MARY      LYON, 

The  Founder  of 

Mount  Holyoke  Female  Seminary, 

and  for  twelve  years 

its  Principal ; 

a  Teacher 

for  thirty-five  years, 

and  of  more  than 

three    thousand    pupils. 

Born   February   28,   1797. 

Died  March  5,  1849. 

On  the  north  side. 

"  Give  her  of  the  fruits  of  her  hands,  and  let  her  own  works  praise 
her  in  the  gates." 

On  the  south  side. 

"  Sen-ant  of  God,  well  done ; 
Eest  from  thy  loved  employ ; 
The  battle  fought,  the  victory  won, 
Enter  thy  Master's  joy." 

On  the  east  side  will  soon  be  placed  the  memorable  sen- 
tence which  Miss  Lyon  uttered  in  the  last  instruction  she 
gave  to  her  school,  as  related  on  the  preceding  pages,  viz. :  — 

"  There  is  nothing  in  the  universe  that  i  fear  but 

THAT  I  shall  not  KNOW  ALL  MY  DUTY,  OR  SHALL  FAIL 
TO  DO  IT." 

The  following  lines  on  the  death  of  Miss  Lyon,  by  Miss 
Mary  Esther  Graves,  a  former  pupil,  were  sung  at  the  twelfth 
anniversary  of  the  Mount  Holyoke  Female  Seminary  :  — 

"  O  sisters,  in  our  souls  may  well  be  grieving, 

For  this  cold  world  now  holds  one  noble  soul  the  less  ; 
And  God  hath  left  to  us,  by  this  bereaving, 
An  empty  blank  where  was  her  boundless  tendemesa. 


ESTIMATE    OF    MISS    LYON's    CHAEACTEK    AND    LABORS.     431 

"  Great  heart  laid  low  !  what  tears  were  shed  for  thee, 
When  thou,  so  loved,  to  death's  dark  vale  descended  ! 
O'er  earth's  proud  ones  no  grifif  like  ours  shall  be, 
E'en  though  by  costly  rites  and  honors  high  attended. 

♦*  In  distant  lands  thy  children  scattered  wide 

With  sorrow  shall  lament  thee,  and  with  tears  recall 
The  memory  of  that  wondrous  wealth  of  love 

Which  could  with  equal  warmth  embrace  and  cherish  all ;  — 

"  The  largeness  of  thy  soul,  that  made  for  thee 

Great  things  most  possible  and  easily  achieved, 
Thy  energy  of  will  to  do  or  bear. 

And  work  out  all  the  plans  thy  noble  heart  conceived ;  — 

"  They  shall  remember  ev^ry  word  and  tone. 

The  solemn,  earnest  prayer,  at  twilight  hours  most  sweet ; 
When  thou  wast  fain  to  bear  up  with  thine  own 

Our  stubborn  souls,  and  lay  them  weeping  at  Christ's  feet. 

"  We  know  thou  art  not  dead,  not  silent  sleeping, 

But  only  gone  where  nobler  work  than  this  is  planned ; 
Thou'lt  reap  the  harvest  sown  with  care  and  weeping. 

And  we  —  God  grant  we  meet  thee  there,  at  his  right  hand." 


SECTION    IV. 

Estimate  of  Miss  LyorCs  Character  and  Labors. 

It  has  been  an  object  with  the  compilers  of  this  work,  as 
far  as  possible,  so  to  present  the  correspondence  and  other 
papers  of  Miss  Lyon  as  to  impress  upon  our  readers  the 
leading  features  of  her  character,  and  the  development  of 
its  traits,  without  much  of  formal  statement  on  our  part.  At 
first,  we  feared  this  would  be  impossible,  both  because  Miss 
Lyon,  with  a  single  exception,  to  be  soon  noticed,  has  left 


432  THE    VICTORY   GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

no  private  journal,  and  because  her  reference  to  her  own 
feelings  in  her  letters  was^only  incidental,  and  generally 
formed  an  appendix  to  some  letter  on  business.  Of  all  the 
letters  inserted  in  this  volume,  as  remarked  on  a  previous 
page,  probably  not  one  was  written  with  the  remotest  idea  on 
her  part  that  it  would  ever  appear  in  print ;  and  her  friends 
can  easily  conceive  with  what  energy  and  earnestness,  were 
she  now  alive,  she  would  lift  her  hands,  and  open  her  large 
eyes,  and  exclaim  against  the  use  we  have  ventured  to  make 
of  letters  written  under  such  circumstances.  We  do  in  fact 
value  them  so  much  the  more,  because  they  were  all  called 
forth  by  the  feelings  of  personal  friendship.  Had  we  been 
copying  from  any  private  diary,  we  could  not  be  sure  that 
the  writer,  as  she  indited  some  beautiful  sentiment,  was  not 
thinking  that  possibly  that  sentence  might  one  day  see  the 
light,  and,  therefore,  must  be  carefully  adjusted  and  trimmed. 
But  now  we  are  sure  that  every  sentence  is  an  exact  picture 
of  Miss  Lyon's  feelings  at  the  time  she  wrote.  And  if  I 
mistake  not,  we  have  been  able  to  present  enough  of  such 
correspondence  to  give  the  attentive  reader  a  fair  impression 
of  the  sentiments  and  character  of  this  lady,  and  of  their 
gradual  development.  It  may  be,  however,  that  those  but 
slightly  acquainted  with  her  history  will  not  derive  from  the 
details  we  have  given  correct  notions  of  her  character  and 
progress ;  and,  therefore,  a  brief  analysis  of  it  may  be  de- 
sirable. That  may  be  important,  too,  as  a  means  of  deriving 
from  her  history  those  practical  lessons  which  it  is  adapted 
to  teach. 

I  propose,  in  the  first  place,  to  present  the  general  fea- 
tures of  Miss  Lyon's  character,  and  then  refer  to  some 
characteristics  more  in  detail. 

General  Characteristics. 

This  part  of  the  subject  I  shall  present  in  language  used 
by  myself  in  my  anniversary  address  after  her  decease,  and 


GENERAL    CHARACTERISTICS.  433 

in  the  language  of  Dr.  Humphrey  in  his  sermon  at  her 
funeral. 

In  my  address  I  remark,  — 

"  We  will  first  consider  Miss  Lyon's  physical  adaptation 
to  the  work  assigned  her. 

"  God  gave  her  a  vigorous  and  well-balanced  physical 
constitution.  Her  stature  was  at  a  medium  ;  the  muscular 
powers  were  displayed  in  great  strength  and  vigor;  the  vital 
apparatus  was  very  strong,  so  as  to  give  a  full  development 
to  the  whole  system,  and  impart  great  tenacity  of  life.  The 
brain  was  largely  developed,  and  in  proper  proportion  to 
produce  a  symmetrical  character.  The  nervous  system  was 
full,  yet  free  from  that  morbid  condition  which  in  so  many 
produces  irritation,  dejection,  or  unhealthy  buoyancy  of  the 
spirits,  and  irregular  action  of  the  mind.  In  short,  all  the 
essential  corporeal  powers  wei'e  developed  in  harmonious 
proportion.  You  could  not  say  that  any  of  the  marked 
temperaments  were  exhibited,  but  there  was  rather  a  blend- 
ing of  them  all. 

"  Now,  just  such  a  physical  system  seemed  essential  to 
the  part  in  life  for  which  this  lady  was  destined.  Many, 
indeed,  have  been  distinguished  as  instructors  of  youth 
whose  constitutions  were  frail,  and  whose  shattered  nerves 
thrilled  and  vibrated  in  every  exigency.  But  Miss  Lyon  had 
another  office  besides  teaching  to  execute,  which  demanded 
unshrinking  nerves  and  great  power  of  endurance.  In 
building  up  a  new  seminary,  not  conformed  in  many  respects 
to  the  prevailing  opinions,  she  could  not  but  meet  many 
things  most  trying  to  persons  of  extreme  sensibility,  and 
needing  an  iron  constitution  to  breast  and  overcome. 

"  We  will  consider,  secondly,  Miss  Lyon's  intellectual 
adaptation  to  the  work  assigned  her. 

"  And  it  gives  a  just  view  of  the  character  of  her  mind 
to  say,  that  it  corresponded  to  that  of  her  body  ;  that  is, 
there  was  a  full  development  of  all  the  powers,  with  no  undue 
37 


434  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

predominance  to  any  one  of  them.  It  were  easy  to  find 
individuals  more  distinguished  by  particular  characteristics, 
but  not  easy  to  find  one  where  the  powers  were  more  har- 
moniously balanced,  and  where,  as  a  whole,  the  mind  would 
operate  with  more  energy  and  efficiency.  She  did,  how- 
ever, exhibit  some  mental  characteristics,  either  original  or 
acquired,  more  or  less  peculiar.  It  was,  for  example,  the 
great  features  of  a  subject  which  her  mind  always  seized 
upon  first.  And  when  she  had  got  a  clear  conception  of 
these,  she  took  less  interest  in  minute  details  ;  or,  rather,  her 
mind  seemed  better  adapted  to  master  fundamental  princi- 
ples than  to  trace  out  minute  differences.  Just  as  the  con- 
queror of  a  country  does  not  think  it  necessary,  after  he  has 
mastered  all  its  strongholds,  to  enter  every  habitation,  to  see 
if  some  private  door  is  not  barred  against  him,  so  she  felt 
confident  of  victory  when  she  had  been  able  tcf  grasp  and 
understand  the  principles  on  which  a  subject  rested.  Her 
mind  would  work  like  a  giant  when  tracing  out  the  history 
of  redemption  with  Edwards,  or  the  analogies  of  nature  to 
religion  with  Butler,  or  the  great  truths  of  Theism  with  Chal- 
mers ;  but  it  would  nod  over  the  pages  of  the  metaphysical 
quibbler,  as  if  conscious  that  it  had  a  higher  destiny.  And 
yet  this  did  not  result  from  an  inability  to  descend  to  the 
details  of  a  science  when  necessary. 

"  The  inventive  faculties  were  also  very  fully  developed 
in  our  friend.  It  was  not  the  creations  of  fancy  merely, 
such  as  form  the  poet,  but  the  power  of  finding  means  to 
accomplish  important  ends.  Nor  was  it  invention  unbalanced 
by  judgment,  such  as  leads  many  to  attempt  schemes  im- 
practicable and  quixotic.  For  rarely  did  she  attempt  any 
thing  in  which  she  did  not  succeed  ;  nor  did  she  undertake 
it  till  her  clear  judgment  told  her  that  it  would  succeed. 
Then  it  mattered  little  who  or  what  opposed.  At  first,  she 
hesitated  ;  especially  when  any  plan  was  under  consideration 
that  would  not  be   generally  approved ;    but  when,   upon 


MENTAL    ENERGY.  •  435 

careful  examination,  she  saw  clearly  its  practicability  and 
importance,  she  nailed  the  colors  to  the  mast,  and,  though 
the  enemy's  fire  might  be  terrific,  she  stood  calmly  at  her 
post,  and  usually  saw  her  opposers  lower  their  flag.  She 
possessed,  in  an  eminent  degree,  that  most  striking  of  all  the 
characteristics  of  a  great  mind,  viz.,  perseverance  under  dif- 
ficulties. When  thoroughly  convinced  that  she  had  truth 
on  her  side,  she  did  not  fear  to  stand  alone  and  act  alone  ; 
patiently  waiting  for  the  hour  when  others  would  see  the 
subject  as  she  did.  This  was  firmness,  not  obstinacy  ;  for 
no  one  was  more  open  to  conviction  than  she  ;  but  her  con- 
version must  result  from  stronger  arguments,  not  from  fear, 
or  the  authority  of  names.  Had  she  not  possessed  this 
feature  of  character,  Mount  Holyoke  Seminary  never  would 
have  existed,  at  least  not  on  its  present  plan.  But  its  trium- 
phant success  for  one  third  of  a  generation  is  a  striking 
illustration  of  the  far-reaching  sagacity  and  accurate  judg- 
ment of  its  originator. 

"  Besides  this  seminary,  the  most  striking  example  of  the 
inventive  powers  of  our  friend  is  that  only  volume  which 
she  has  left  us,  —  I  mean  the  '  Missionary  Offering,'  —  called 
forth  by  an  exigency  in  a  cause  which  she  dearly  loved, 
and  whose  most  striking  characteristic  is  its  missionary 
spirit.  Yet  it  is,  in  fact,  a  well-sustained  allegory,  demand- 
ing for  its  composition  no  mean  powers  of  invention  and 
imagination. 

"  Miss  Lyon  possessed,  also,  the  power  of  concentrating 
the  attention  and  enduring  long-continued  mental  labor  in 
an  extraordinary  degree.  When  once  fairly  engaged  in  any 
important  subject,  literary,  scientific,  theological,  or  econom- 
ical, there  seemed  to  be  no  irritated  nerves  or  truant 
thoughts  to  intrude,  nor  could  the  external  world  break  up 
her  almost  mesmeric  abstraction. 

"  Another  mental  characteristic  of  our  friend  was  her 
great  power  to  control  the  minds  of  others.     And  it  was 


436  THE    VICTORY   GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

done,  too,  without  their  suspecting  it ;  nay,  in  opposition 
often  to  strong  prejudice.  Before  you  were  aware,  her  well- 
woven  net  of  argument  was  over  you,  and  so  soft  were  its 
silken  meshes  that  you  did  not  feel  them.  One  reason  was, 
that  you  soon  learnt  that  the  fingers  of  love  and  knowledge 
had  unitedly  formed  the  web  and  woof  of  that  net.  You  saw 
that  she  knew  more  than  you  did  about  the  subject;  that  she 
had  thrown  her  whole  soul  into  it ;  that  in  urging  it  upon  you, 
she  was  actuated  by  benevolent  motives,  and  was  anxious  for 
your  good  ;  and  that  it  was  hazardous  for  you  to  resist  so 
much  light  and  love.  And  thus  it  was  that  many  a  refrac- 
tory pupil  was  subdued,  and  many  an  individual  brought 
to  aid  a  cause  to  which  he  was  before  indifferent  or 
opposed. 

"  Finally,  I  must  not  omit  to  mention  her  great  mental 
energy  and  invincible  perseverance.  That  energy  was  a 
quiet  power,  but  you  saw  that  it  had  giant  strength.  It 
might  fail  of  success  to-day,  but  in  that  case  it  calrrily  waited 
till  to-morrow.  Nay,  a  score  of  failures  seemed  omy  to 
rouse  the  inventive  faculty  to  devise  new  modes  of  opera- 
tion ;  nor  would  the  story  of  the  ant  that  fell  backward 
sixty-nine  times  in  attempting  to  climb  a  wall,  and  succeed- 
ed only  upon  the  seventieth  trial,  be  an  exaggerated  repre- 
sentation of  her  perseverance.  Had  she  lacked  this  energy 
and  perseverance,  she  might  have  been  distinguished  in 
something  else,  but  she  never  would  have  been  the  founder 
of  Mount  Holyoke  Female  Seminary. 

"  But  I  hasten,  thirdly,  to  speak  of  her  religious  adapta- 
tion to  the  work  assigned  her. 

"  And  it  is  in  her  religious  character,  and  there  alone,  that 
we  shall  find  the  secret  and  the  powerful  spring  of  all  the 
efforts  of  her  life  which  she  would  wish  to  have  remem- 
bered. But  I  approach  this  part  of  her  character  with  a 
kind  of  awe,  as  if  I  were  on  holy  ground,  and  were  attempt- 
ing to  lay  open  that  which  she  would  wish  never  revealed. 


RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER.  437 

In  her  ordinary  intercourse,  so  full  was  she  of  suggestions 
and  plans  on  the  subject  of  education,  and  of  her  new  sem- 
inary, that  you  would  not  suspect  how  deep  and  pure  was 
the  fountain  of  piety  in  her  heart,  nor  that  from  thence  the 
watere  flowed  in  which  all  her  plans  and  efforts  were  bap- 
tized and  devoted  to  God.  But  as  accidentally,  for  the  last 
thirty  years,  the  motives  of  her  actions  have  been  brought  to 
light,  I  have  been  every  year  more  deeply  impressed  with 
their  Christian  disinterestedness,  and  with  the  entireness  of 
her  consecration  to  God.  Without  a  knowledge  of  this  fact, 
a  stranger  would  mistake  for  selfishness  the  earnestness  and 
exclusiveness  whh  which  she  often  urged  the  interests  of 
her  seminary.  But  in  the  light  of  this  knowledge,  the  ap- 
parent selfishness  is  transmuted  into  sacred  Christian  love. 
Her  whole  life,  indeed,  for  many  years  past,  has  seemed  to 
me  to  be  only  a  bright  example  of  missionary  devotedness 
and  missionary  labor.  I  have  never  met  with  the  individual 
who  seemed  to  me  more  ready  to  sacrifice  even  life  in  a 
good  cause  than  she  was ;  and  had  that  sacrifice  been  neces- 
sary for  securing  the  establishment  of  her  favorite  seminary, 
cheerfully,  and  without  a  moment's  hesitation,  do  I  believe, 
she  would  have  laid  down  her  life.  I  would,  indeed,  by  no 
means  represent  her  as  an  example  of  Christian  perfection. 
I  could  not  do  so  great  injustice  to  her  own  convictions.  But 
since  her  death,  I  have  looked  back  over  the  whole  of  mv 
long  acquaintance  with  her  in  almost  every  variety  of  cir- 
cumstance, to  see  if  I  could  recollect  an  instance  in  which 
she  spoke  of  any  individual  in  such  a  way  as  to  indicate 
feelings  not  perfectly  Christian  ;  or  if  I  could  discover  any 
lurkings  of  inordinate  worldly  ambition,  or  traces  of  sinful 
pride,  or  envy,  or  undue  excitement,  or  disposition  to  shrink 
fi'om  duty,  or  of  unwillingness  to  make  any  sacrifices  which 
God  demanded  ;  and  I  confess  that  the  tablet  of  memory 
furnishes  not  a  single  example.  What  I  considered  errors 
of  judgment  I  can  indeed  remember ;  but  not  any  moral 
37* 


438  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED.      ' 

obliquity  in  feeling  or  action.     They  doubtless  existed,  but  it 
needed  nicer  moral  vision  than  1  possess  to  discover  them. 

"  I  ought  to  add  that  this  eminence  of  Christian  character 
was  founded  upon  a  clear  apprehension  of  biblical  principles. 
She  thoroughly  understood  and  cordially  embraced  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Puritans,  just  as  they  lie  in  their  massive 
strength  in  the  Bible  ;  not  as  they  often  come  forth,  alloyed 
and  weakened,  from  the  moulds  of  a  self-confident  philoso- 
phy. To  study  these  truths  was  her  delight.  To  explain 
them  to  her  pupils  was  one  of  her  most  successful  efforts  as 
a  teacher.  Would  that  I  could  present  on  canvas  the  picture 
of  Miss  Lyon,  as  it  lies  in  my  memory,  when  she  was  en- 
gaged on  the  Sabbath  in  the  study  of  Christian  truth.  I 
have  frequently  seen  individuals  in  the  somnambulic  and 
mesmeric  state,  but  none  of  them  apparently  more  uncon- 
scious to  external  scenes  than  she  was  when  thus  absorbed 
in  the  contemplation  of  divine  truth. 

"  There  were  two  religious  principles  which  exerted  an 
overmastering  influence  upon  Miss  Lyon's  character.  One 
was,  a  sense  of  personal  responsibility ;  the  other,  trust  in 
an  overruling  Providence.  As  the  Savior,  when  he  went  up 
to  Jerusalem  for  the  last  time,  with  all  his  sufferings  full  in 
view,  advanced  before  his  disciples,  as  if  in  haste  to  suffer, 
so  did  she,  when  duty  called,  never  wait  for  others,  but  was 
ever  ready  to  precede  them,  and  measure  the  amount  of  her^ 
sacrifices,  donations,  and  efforts  by  her  sense  of  duty  rather 
than  by  the  example  of  others.  And  it  was  this  sense  of 
personal  responsibility  which  she  urged  always  upon  her 
pupils,  and  with  great  success.  So  strong,  too,  was  her 
faith  in  a  special  providence,  that  delay  and  discomfiture  in 
tlie  execution  of  her  favorite  plans  produced  little  or  no  dis- 
couragement, but  led  her  merely  to  inquire  more  carefully 
whether  there  was  not  something  wrong  in  her,  or  her  plans, 
which  occasioned  the  delay  ;  and,  having  done  all  she  could, 
she  would  wait  long  and  cheerfully  for  the  divine  manifesta- 


DR.  Humphrey's  opinion.  439 

tion.  And  so  often  had  she  witnessed  interpositions  in  her 
behalf  almost  miraculous,  that  her  faith  might  often  be  seen 
steady  and  buoyant  when  that  of  others  had  yielded  to  ap- 
palling difficulties  and  dangers." 

In  his  sermon  Dr.  Humphrey  says, — 

"  In  glancing  at  Miss  Lyon's  character,  taken  all  in  all,  I 
hardly  dare  to  express  the  high  estimation  which  my  long 
acquaintance  constrains  me  to  cherish,  lest  I  should  seem  to 
exaggerate.  I  certainly  should  not  express  it  but  in  the 
presence  of  those  who  have  enjoyed  equal  or  better  oppor- 
tunities for  marking  her  radiant  and  upward  course.  I  do 
not  say  that  in  her  intellectual  endowments  she  was  superior 
to  many  other  females,  nor  that  she  attained  to  the  first  rank 
in  external  graces  and  accomplishments ;  but  this  I  do  say, 
that,  so  far  as  I  can  remember,  I  have  never  known  so  much 
physical,  intellectual,  and  moral  power  all  combined  in  any 
one  female  as  in  our  departed  friend.  Such  labors  as  she 
performed  would  have  broken  down  almost  any  other  consti- 
tution years  and  years  ago.  ^uch  constitutional  energy  as 
she  possessed,  always  in  action,  often  intense,  would  have 
shattered  any  ordinary  framework  long  ere  the  meridian  of 
life.  Such  tasks  as  she  imposed  upon  her  brain,  especially 
during  the  three  years  which  she  spent  in  planning  the  sem- 
inary and  enlisting  the  necessary  agencies  for  getting  it  up, 
would  have  disorganized  almost  any  other.  How,  under 
such  extreme  tension,  the  '  thousand  strings '  held  together, 
and  '  kept  in  tune  so  long,'  was  a  wonder  to  all  her  ac- 
quaintances. 

"  Miss  Lyon's  mind  was  of  a  high  order,  clear,  strong, 
active,  well  balanced,  inventive,  which  no  discouragement 
could  depress,  no  obstacle  daunt.  It  is  very  rare,  indeed,  to 
find  such  mental  strength  and  such  quenchless  ardor  con- 
trolled by  the  soundest  discretion  and  the  best  '  round-about 
common  sense.'  One  of  the  strong  proofs  of  Miss  Lyon's 
intellectual  superiority,   which  must   have    struck   all   who 


440  THE    VICTORY   GAINED   AND    SECTTEED. 

knew  her,  was  the  power  which  she  had  to  influence  other 
minds.  As  a  teacher  and  governess  of  a  great  school,  few 
have  equalled  her  in  this  respect.  It  might  be  difficult  to 
show  exactly  wherein  her  great  skill  and  success  lay ;  but 
no  scholar,  I  believe,  was  ever  long  under  her  care  without 
feeling  herself  in  a  sort  of  enchanted  circle,  held  there  by 
invisible  attractions  which  it  was  hard  to  resist,  and  from 
which  very  few  wished  to  be  released.  Nor  was  it  the 
young  alone  whom  she  had  the  power  to  influence.  The 
maturest  minds  felt  it  when  she  needed  their  aid ;  and  but 
for  this,  she  could  never  have  enlisted  so  many  heads,  and 
hearts,  and  hands  as  were  necessary  to  build  and  estab- 
lish this  noble  seminary. 

"  But  it  was  the  moral  and  religious  in  Miss  Lyon's  char- 
acter which  eclipsed  all  her  other  endowments,  and  in  which 
her  great  strength  lay.  And  the  most  prominent  feature 
was  benevolence.  To  do  the  greatest  possible  good  to  the 
greatest  number  was  her  study  and  delight.  I  feel  that  on 
this  point  there  is  hardly  any  danger  of  using  too  strong 
language.  To  say  that  she  was  preeminently  benevolent  is 
not  strong  enough.  In  humble  imitation  of  her  Savior,  she 
seemed,  wherever  she  went,  and  in  all  her  relations,  to  be 
the  very  embodiment  of  love  and  good  will  to  men,  and 
never  to  have  thought  of  herself,  of  her  own  ease,  advan- 
tage, or  convenience.  It  was  enough  for  her  that  others 
were  made  wiser,  and  better,  and  happier,  at  whatever  cost 
of  toil  or  sacrifice  to  herself.  She  seemed  scarcely  to  know 
that  she  had  any  personal  interests  to  care  for.  If  it  were 
not  a  solecism  in  terms,  I  should  say  that  Miss  Lyon  lived 
out  of  herself ;  and  I  do  say,  and  I  appeal  to  all  who  marked 
her  beneficent  course  from  early  life,  that  she  lived  incom- 
parably more  for  others,  for  her  pupils,  for  the  church,  and 
for. the  world,  than  for  herself.  I  do  not  believe  that  an  in- 
stance can  be  recollected  by  any  human  being,  since  she 
entered  on  her  bright  career  of   usefulness,  in  which  she 


INDIVIDUAL    TEAITS    OF    CHARACTER.  441 

appeared  to  be  actuated  in  the  slightest  degree  by  selfish- 
ness. Mistakes  she  undoubtedly  made,  for  who  does  not  ? 
but  all  the  thousands  who  knew  her  might  be  challenged  to 
show  that  she  ever,  by  word  or  deed,  appeared  to  prefer  her 
own  advantage  to  the  good  of  others." 

INDIVIDUAL     TRAITS     OF     CHARACTER. 

Power  of  continued  Application. 

The  ability  to  fix  the  mind  upon  a  particular  subject  for  a 
long  period  depends  upon  the  state  of  health,  the  interest 
taken  in  the  subject,  and  the  previous  discipline  to  which  the 
mind  has  been  subjected.  In  all  these  respects  Miss  Lyon 
possessed  unusual  preparation.  Her  health  was  usually 
firm,  her  nerves  not  easily  ruffled,  her  interest  intense  and 
absorbing  in  any  important  object  in  which  she  was  engaged, 
and  she  had  early  learned  to  school  all  her  powers  into  com- 
plete subjection  to  the  will.  Hence  in  study,  in  teaching, 
and  in  benevolent  eflx)rt,  many  a  fellow-laborer  has  given  out 
exhausted  while  she  was  yet  fresh,  unfatigued,  and  vigorous. 
In  the  responsible  and  difficult  circumstances  in  which  she 
was  often  placed,  this  power  of  concentration  and  endurance 
was  of  great  benefit,  indispensable,  indeed,  to  eminent  suc- 
cess. I  do  not  doubt  that  such  extraordinary  drafts  upon 
her  constitution  exhausted  the  powers  of  life  earlier  than  if 
she  had  been  more  sparing  of  her  strength.  But  in  the 
great  labors  of  her  life,  her  grand  inquiry  was,  not  how  to 
preserve  life,  but  how  to  use  its  energies  to  the  best  advan- 
tage. A  few  years  more  or  less  in  this  world  were  a  matter 
of  small  importance  compared  with  success  in  her  projects. 

Poioer  of  Attention  to  Details  as  well  as  great  Principles. 

No  one  acquainted  with  this  lady  will  doubt  that  her  mind 
more  naturally  seized  upon  the  great  principles  than  upon 
the  details  of  a  subject.     Such  minds  usually  find  it  hard  to 


442  THE    VICTORY   GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

descend  to  particulars.  Hers  was  not  of  this  character.  At 
least,  the  circumstances  in  which  she  was  called  to  act  ren- 
dered attention  to  minute  details  indispensable,  and  her  powers 
were  compelled  to  yield  to  the  necessity  with  so  good  a  grace 
that  they  seemed  to  be  following  a  natural  instinct.  In  the 
earlier  schools  which  she  taught,  peculiar  in  many  respects,  no 
one  could  arrange  the  details  but  herself.  Especially  was  this 
indispensable  when  she  engaged  in  the  manipulations  of  a 
chemical  laboratory.  In  these  she  was  very  successful  —  a 
thing  impossible  without  scrupulous  attention  to  every  item 
of  preparation.  So,  too,  did  she  keep  her  eye  upon  every 
detail  of  the  new  seminary.  Scarcely  was  a  brick  laid  or  a 
nail  driven  without  her  cognizance  and  direction.  Every 
part  of  the  building  was  planned  by  herself;  as  it  must  have 
been  to  meet  her  views.  In  like  manner  did  the  arrange- 
ment and  execution  of  the  domestic  work  demand  intense 
attention  to  details.  And  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  planning 
of  the  seminary,  and  the  invention  of  a  system  by  which  the 
domestic  labors  could  be  performed  without  interference 
with  the  studies,  were  two  of  the  severest  mental  efforts 
which  she  ever  made,  and  probably  cost  her  more  sleepless 
nights  than  any  other  events. 

Accuracy  of  Judgment. 

What  a  vast  amount  of  labor  in  this  world  is  lost  for  the 
want  of  an  accurate  judgment  to  direct  it !  Indeed,  a  sound 
judgment  is  a  rare  acquisition,  even  among  the  ablest  individ- 
uals. But  so  thoroughly  did  Miss  Lyon  study  every  subject 
in  which  she  heartily  engaged,  and  so  accurately  could  she 
weigh  every  consideration,  that  rarely  was  there  any  waste 
of  labor  upon  visionary  or  ill-arranged  projects. 

The  accuracy  of  her  judgment  was  sometimes  put  to  the 
severest  test.  For  in  some  of  her  noblest  enterprises  she 
had  to  go  contrary  to  the  judgment  of  some  of  the  wisest 
and  best  men  in  New  England.     They  did  not  dare  to  give 


ACCURACY    OF    JUDGMENT.  443 

their  names  and  influence  to  aid  in  starting  the  new  seminary 
on  the  plan  she  proposed,  because  they  thought  many  of  her 
views  visionary  and  impracticable.  With  her  great  candor 
and  confidence  in  the  opinions  of  friends,  it  was  a  severe 
trial  to  go  forward  in  opposhion  to  their  deliberate  conclu- 
sions. But  so  long  and  carefully,  as  well  as  prayerfully,  had 
she  surveyed  the  whole  ground,  that  the  whole  path  through 
it  was  radiant  whh  light  in  her  eye,  although  to  others  cov- 
ered with  fog  ;  and  she  could  not  refuse  to  go  forward  with- 
out doing  violence  to  the  strongest  convictions.  She  tri- 
umphed ;  and  it  is  but  justice  to  say,  that  most  of  those  who 
at  first  opposed  her  views  were  led  ultimately  to  acknowledge 
the  superior  accuracy  and  sagacity  of  her  judgment,  and  to 
help  forward  her  enterprise. 

The  two  points  on  which  she  differed  from  judicious 
friends  were,  first,  attempting  to  obtain  funds  for  the  sem- 
inary by  appealing  solely  to  the  benevolent  principle,  and 
offering  no  hope  of  pecuniary  profit ;  and,  secondly,  ven- 
turing to  leave  the  domestic  labors  of  the  institution  to  be 
performed  by  the  pupils  alone.  The  attempt  made  in  suc- 
sessive  years  to  endow  the  Ipswich  Seminary  had  entirely 
failed.  For  a  time  she  seems  to  have  been  quite  discouraged. 
But  as  she  mused  upon  the  two  points  above  specified,  a  new 
hope  insensibly  took  root  in  her  mind ;  and,  although  in  her 
correspondence  she  rarely  speaks  of  them,  there  is  no  doubt 
but  that  they  were  intently  examined  again  and  again  ;  for 
otherwise  she  could  not  have  acquired  so  firm  a  conviction 
of  their  soundness  as  to  venture  her  all  upon  their  operation, 
in  spite  of  the  objections  of  wise  friends  and  the  ridicule  of 
sagacious  enemies.  They  proved,  however,  to  be  the  grand 
means  of  success.  The  principal  agent  in  obtaining  the 
funds,  who  stood  almost  alone  with  Miss  Lyon  in  maintaining 
these  principles,  is  decidedly  of  opinion  that  without  them  he 
never  could  have  obtained  the  money.  I  ought  also  to  name 
a  third  principle,  equally  efficacious  in  securing  aid  from 


444  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

Christians  of  moderate  pecuniary  means ;  and  that  is,  the 
proposal  to  conduct  the  institution  on  such  a  plan  that  the 
expenses  should  be  comparatively  small.  One  or  more  of 
this  trio  of  principles  had  the  power  to  reach  the  heart  and 
open  the  purse  of  a  large  proportion  of  the  benevolent  in  the 
middle  ranks  of  society,  and  of  some  among  the  wealthy ; 
and  therefore  the  enterprise  succeeded. 

Knowledge  of  Character. 

It  ought  likewise  to  be  added  to  what  has  been  said,  that 
Miss  Lyon's  familiar  acquaintance  with  the  principles,  feel- 
ings, and  whole  character  of  the  middling  classes  of  society 
in  New  England,  enabled  her  to  judge  with  accuracy  by 
what  means  they  would  be  influenced,  far  better  than  others 
who  had  never  themselves  been  familiar  with  that  character. 
And  here  the  wisdom  of  Providence  was  manifested,  in  taking 
her  from  the  lower  ranks  of  society,  and  causing  all  the  early 
part  of  her  life  to  be  spent  among  those  classes  upon  whom 
she  was  to  operate,  and  for  whose  special  benefit  she  was 
afterwards  to  labor.  She  thus  learnt  how  to  sympathize 
with  their  principles  and  feelings,  and  to  meet  their  idiosyn- 
crasies and  prejudices.  Had  her  early  days  been  spent 
among  the  wealthy  and  fashionable,  she  never  could  have  so 
wisely  adapted  means  to  ends,  and  her  efforts  would  have 
probably  ended  in  merely  beating  the  air ;  and  she  would 
have  concluded  that  the  public  were  too  ignorant,  or  too 
selfish,  to  found  a  permanent  female  seminary ;  whereas 
the  only  difficulty  would  have  been  in  her  ignorance  of 
human  nature.  How  many  instances  of  such  failures  do  we 
yearly  witness  !  while  the  self-satisfied,  though,  it  may  be, 
benevolent  authors  of  the  enterprises,  never  once  suspect 
that  the  sole  difficulty  lies  m  their  ignorance  of  the  human 
character. 

It  was  not,  however,  in  respect  to  one  particular  portion  of 
society  that  Miss  Lyon  understood  their  character.     She  had 


POWEK  OF  INFLUENCING  OTHERS.         445 

great  skill  in  reading  human  character  generally  from  its 
casual  and  external  manifestations.  There  was  nothing  in 
her  intercourse,  as  is  sometimes  the  case,  which  seemed  to 
say  to  the  visitor,  "  Now  I  mean  to  find  out  all  about  you  ; " 
but  while  there  was  a  seeming  indifference  as  to  your  char- 
acter, there  was  a  keen  eye  and  a  cool  judgment,  which 
together  made  out  its  general  lineaments  from  your  casual 
expressions,  associations,  likes  and  dislikes.  Hence  it  was 
that,  in  selecting  agents  and  others  to  aid  her  in  her  sem- 
inary project,  experience,  almost  without  exception,  showed 
the  judiciousness  of  her  choice.  And  so,  in  respect  to  the 
numerous  teachers  she  was  called  to  select  to  aid  her  in  her 
many  schools,  how  almost  universally  (quite  so  for  any  thing 
that  I  know)  has  the  selection  been  happy  !  Wherever  I 
have  seen  Miss  Lyon  in  the  midst  of  coadjutors,  it  has  always 
seemed  to  me  as  if  Providence  had  sent  her  just  the  right 
sort  of  persons.  I  do  not  doubt  that  it  was  Providence  ;  and 
yet  the  instrumentality  has  been  her  unusual  power  of 
reading  human  character  by  its  usual  manifestations. 

Power  of  influencing  others. 

I  refer  chiefly  to  moral  influences ;  for  rarely  in  her 
schools,  and  certainly  nowhere  else,  did  Miss  Lyon  resort  to 
any  other.  Yet  her  principle  was,  that  the  rules  of  a  school 
must  be  enforced,  and  if  any  extremely  refractory  pupil 
should  resist  every  other  kind  of  influence,  she  had  no  con- 
scientious scruples  against  physical  compulsion  ;  and,  accord- 
ing to  Mrs.  Cowles,  she  did  once  resort  to  that  kind  of 
influence  in  enforcing  a  rule  of  the  school.  But,  almost 
without  exception,  she  knew  how  to  concentrate  and  combine 
moral  influences,  before  which  none  but  the  desperately  de- 
praved could  stand  ;  and  such  she  took  care  to  get  rid  of  as 
soon  as  discovered.  She  was  always  careful  never  to  pro- 
mulgate any  rule  that  had  not  good  reasons  for  its  observance, 
nor  until  she  felt  morally  certain  that  it  could  be  cai'ried  into 
3S 


446  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

execution  by  moral  means.  She  took  special  care  to  avoid 
a  predicament,  into  which  less  sagacious  and  less  experienced 
teachers  are  sometimes  brought,  of  being  obliged  to  enforce 
rules  for  no  other  reason  save  that  of  sustaining  the  authority 
of  the  school  and  the  dignity  of  the  instructors.  She  did  not 
waste  her  strength  in  fighting  such  battles,  where  common 
sense  is  on  the  side  of  the  enemy,  and  the  victory  can  be 
gained  only  by  strangling  that  stern  leader  with  the  cord  of 
authority. 

The  two  principles  which  Miss  Lyon  found  of  mighty  effi- 
cacy in  enforcing  her  rules  were,  first,  their  reasonableness; 
and,  secondly,  the  demands  of  benevolence.  Many  rules  in 
a  school  are  inconvenient  and  troublesome  to  conscientious, 
well-disposed  adults ;  but  they  can  see  how  necessary  they 
are  for  the  welfare  of  others,  and  how  reasonable,  therefore, 
it  is  that  they  should  sustain  such  rules.  At  any  rate,  a  be- 
nevoleat  regard  to  the  good  of  the  school  should  lead  them 
to  acquiesce  in  what  might  require  considerable  sacrifice  on 
their  part.  Such  appeals  Miss  Lyon  found  as  powerful  in 
regulating  her  schools  as  she  did  in  obtaining  funds  for  the 
Holyoke  Seminary.  And  it  was  often  amazing  to  see  how 
triumphantly  she  would  carry  through  any  measure  in  her 
school  that  seemed  important.  She  knew  how  to  form  and 
set  in  motion  a  current  which  made  individual  opposition  as 
powerless  as  chaff  before  the  whirlwind. 

But  this  talent  was  not  confined  to  her  schools.  Wher- 
ever it  was  necessary  or  desirable  to  influence  individuals,  or 
collections  of  men  or  women,  she  knew  how  to  spin  those 
silken  cords  that  would  lead  them  where  she  pleased.  Yet 
she  never  pleased  to  lead  them  where  reason,  and  conscience, 
and  benevolence  did  not  point  the  way.  Generally,  too, 
those  who  were  thus  influenced  were  not  aware  that  the  in- 
visible force  by  which  they  were  gently  urged  along  ema- 
nated from  her.     Like  a  practised  Mesmerist,  she  had  thrown 


POWER    OF    OVERCOMING    DIFFICITLTIES.  447 

them  into  a  better  than  somnambulic  state,  and  it  needed 
only  her  volitions  afterwards  to  determine  their  movements. 
Sometimes,  indeed,  during  their  hallucination,  she  contrived 
to  get  money  out  of  their  pockets  ;  but  when  they  awoke 
from  the  dream  of  benevolence,  they  were  always  thankful 
that  they  had  been  robbed,  and  invited  the  robber  to  come 
again  when  the  cause  of  education  or  religion  demanded 
further  help. 

Ability  to  estimate  and  overcome  Difficulties.  ■ 

There  is  a  great  difference  in  the  ability  of  different  men, 
of  equal  intellectual  strength,  to  estimate  thej:rue  magnitude 
of  the  obstacles  in  their  path,  and  in  devising  appropriate 
means  for  overcoming  them.  The  principles  by  which  such 
estimates  are  made  I  call  moral  dynamics.  And  skill  in 
that  science  is  one  of  the  surest  marks  of  mental  power, 
conjoined  to  a  well-balanced  judgment.  Many  men  possess 
a  dazzling  brilliancy,  and  can  easily  propose  splendid 
schemes ;  but  they  seem  incapable  of  forming  any  correct 
notions  of  the  difficulties  in  their  way,  or  of  inventing  means 
for  overcoming  them.  The  result  is,  that  when  put  to  the 
test  of  experience,  their  fine  schemes  are  found  impracticable. 
They  try  again,  and  imagination  is  alike  prolific  of  some 
brilliant  project ;  but  it  is  alike  impracticable.  And  so  life 
is  filled  up  with  fascinating  schemes  ;  but,  for  want  of  skill 
in  moral  dynamics,  the  individual  leaves  no  trace  of  his 
labors  among  men,  and  is  remembered  only  as  an  ingenious 
dreamer. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  man  whose  judgment  curbs  imagi- 
nation foresees  objections  and  obstacles,  and  is  able  to  de- 
cide whether  he  shall  be  able  to  overcome  them.  At  any 
rate,  he  modifies  his  plans  till  he  is  sure  they  are  practicable  ; 
and  then  he  does  not  fear  to  risk  all  upon  the  attempts  to 
carry  them  into  execution.     They  may  seem  visionary  to  the 


448  THE    VICTOKY   GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

world  ;  but  if  he  can  go  forward  and  show  that  they  are 
mistaken,  there  is  no  surer  mark  of  a  superior  mind. 

There  are  some  who  have  an  accurate  foresight  of  the 
difficulties  they  will  have  to  encounter,  yet  they  seem  to  lack 
the  grace  of  perseverance,  and  soon  become  discouraged, 
when  the  conflict  comes.  But,  after  all,  it  is  in  the  long  and 
doubtful  struggle  that  precedes  the  establishment  of  any  new 
a«d  important  plan  that  we  discover  the  true  calibre  and 
composition  of  the  man.  It  is  an  ordeal  from  which  very 
few  come  forth  victors.  When,  therefore,  we  see  a  man,  in 
such  a  struggle,  holding  on  with  the  tenacity  of  desperation 
to  his  darling  object,  trampling  down  one  and  another  diffi- 
culty that  lies  in  his  path,  inventing  new  methods  of  attack 
and  defence  if  the  old  ones  fail,  —  in  short,  meeting  every 
exigency  with  some  new  and  effectual  device,  —  we  see  that 
the  root  of  the  matter  is  in  him,  and  we  expect  that  he  will 
come  forth  victorious  at  last. 

Now,  I  hardly  need  say  that  the  conflict  of  this  sort, 
through  which  Miss  Lyon  passed,  was  of  the  most  desperate 
and  protracted  kind ;  and  yet  nobly  and  triumphantly  was 
she  borne  through  it.  The  difficulties  before  her  were  appall- 
ing ;  yet  carefully  did  she  survey  and  gauge  them  before 
she  put  on  her  armor.  The  world,  and  even  many  of  her 
best  friends,  while  they  admired  her  object  and  her  spirit, 
felt  sad  that  she  was  destined  to  an  almost  certain  defeat. 
But  they  did  not  know  how  carefully  she  had  surveyed  the 
whole  ground,  nor  what  unconquerable  energies  she  was 
capable  oi  putting  forth,  nor  how  firmly  her  faith  clung  to 
divine  help.-  Probably  she  had  herself  but  a  feeble  con- 
sciousness of  that  hidden  power  she  was  called  to  exert. 
Had  she  known  it,  she  might  have  said  to  every  difficulty, 
Who  art  thou,  O  great  mountain  ?  Before  Zeruhbahel  thou 
shalt  become  a  plain,  and  he  shall  bring  forth  the  head' 
stone  thereof  with  shoutings,  crying,  Grace,  grace  unto  it. 


EXECUTIVE     POWER,  449 

Executive  Power.    - 

Given  a  definite  amount  of  means,  and  the  circumstances 
favorable  and  adverse  in  which  a  person  is  placed,  it  is 
required-  to  determine  how  much  he  ought  to  accomplish. 
Work  out  this  problem,  and  the  results  will  show  you  nearly 
what  'Miss  Lyon  did  accomplish.  For  she  had  a  marvellous 
power  of  executing  whatever  she  had  the  means  of  doing. 
Her  practice  trod  close  upon  the  heels  of  theory,  and  usually 
was  nearly  as  perfect,  like  the  molecular  operations  in  chem- 
istry and  crystallography.  Having  great  skill  in  estimating 
the  difficulties  to  be  overcome,  and  in  devising  adequate 
means,  she  also  possessed  a  most  unusual  power  of  accom- 
plishing the  most  by  those  means.  In  the  large  educational 
establishments  with  which  she  was  connected,  nothing  was 
left  at  loose  ends  ;  no  di'ones  were  allowed  in  the  hive,  unless 
they  came  there  as  guests.  She  had  a  remarkable  power 
of  keeping  every  body,  pupils  and  teachers,  employed,  and 
the  result  was  order,  neatness,  and  despatch.  In  this  way, 
too,  she  pasily  found  time  and  room  for  introducing  any 
extra  operations  that  were  desirable,  and  especially  those  of 
a  benevolent  and  religious  character. 

The  promptness,  too,  with  which  this  executive  power  was 
manifested,  deserves  notice.  The  moment  a  thing  was  found 
to  be  desirable  and  practicable,  she  felt  uneasy  till  it  was  in 
a  course  of  execution.  She  suspected  herself,  as  we  shall 
see  farther  on,  of  being  too  impatient  in  such  cases  ;  but  how 
venial  such  a  fault,  compared  with  the  very  common  habit 
of  procrastination  !  With  her  there  was  no  putting  off  till^ 
to-morrow  what  could  be  done  to-day.  For  a  few  years,  in 
consequence  of  the  length  of  some  of  the  compositions,  the 
public  services  in  the  church,  on  anniversary  day,  did  not 
commence  till  half  an  hour  afier  the  appointed  time.  She 
was  reminded  of  it  as  something  unusual  at  the  Mount 
Holyoke  Seminary.  The  next  year  the  public  services 
38* 


450  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

commenced  a  quarter  of  an  hour  before  the  time  appointed  ; 
so  fearful  was  the  principal  lest  the  school  should  get  the 
reputation  of  not  being  punctual.* 

Administrative   Power. 

Although  intimately  connected  with,  this  power  is  distinct 
from,  executive  power ;  or  rather,  perhaps,  the  latter  is  in- 
cluded in  the  former.  Great  energy  in  accomplishing  objects 
may  not  always  be  associated  with  much  wisdom  ;  but  this 
is  essential  to  the  management  of  a  large  literary  institution. 
Here  are  numerous  and  quite  diverse  elements  to  be  con- 
trolled.    As  to  the  pupils,  it  is  one  important  qualification  in 

*  The  following  statement  will  show  the  effect  upon  my  own 
miiid  of  long  familiarity  with  Mis3  Lyon's  great  energy,  promptness, 
and  executive  power.  It  is  a  dream,  but  such  a  dream  as  resulted 
naturally  from  the  impressions  made  on  the  mind  in  its  waking 
hours. 

I  had  been  giving  a  lecture  at  the  seminary  upon  galvanism,  and 
while  putting  up  my  apparatus,  one  of  the  teachers  enteeed  the 
room,  and  in  a  very  quiet  manner  requested  me  to  step  down  stairs 
because  the  building  was  on  fire.  I  was  struck  with  her  sang  froid, 
and  still  more  so,  on  descending,  to  find  how  quietly  Miss  Lyon  and 
some  twenty  others  were  standing  by  with  pails  of  water,  while  a 
man  was  cutting  a  hole  in  the  floor  to  get  access  to  the  fire,  which 
was  soon  subdued. 

A  little  time  afterwards,  I  dreamed  that  I  was  at  the  seminary  on 
anniversary  day,  when  the  examinations  were  going  on  before  a 
crowded  audience,  in  the  large  hall  at  the  south  end  of  the  building. 
Happening  to  step  out  the  door,  I  saw  that  all  the  north  part  of  the 
building  was  on  fire,  the  flames  rushing  out  of  the  windows  with 
such  fury  that  it  seemed  impossible  to  save  the  edifice.  However, 
every  body  seemed  very  quiet,  and  the  examinations  were  not  inter- 
rupted ;  but  as  I  passed  along,  a  mndow  opened,  and  Miss  Lyon 
appeared  with  a  letter  in  her  hand,  which  she  committed  to  some 
one  to  take  to  the  post-office.  I  thought  it  a  strange  time  to  be 
writing  letters,  but  was  told  that  it  was  a  circular,  which  Miss 
Lyon  was  getting  out  to  obtain  means  for  erecting  a  new  building! 


ADMINISTRATIVE   POWER.  451 

a  teacher  to  be  able  to  adapt  the  means  and  motives  to  the 
peculiarities  of  character,  and  opinion,  and  prejudices,  among 
them.  And  then,  a  large  corps  of  teachers  must  be  selected 
and  made  to  act  in  unison,  or  a  firebrand  will  be  thrown  into 
the  school.  Moreover,  in  most  schools  in  this  country,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  principal  exercise  a  rigid  watchfulness 
over  its  pecuniary  interests,  being  cognizant  of  every  expend- 
iture, and  of  the  smallest  means  of  income ;  the  whole  de- 
manding no  mean  financial  ability.  Still  further,  in  schools 
dependent  on  public  patronage,  the  principal  is  expected  to 
see  to  it  that  the  public  are  kept  informed  of  its  advantages, 
and  their  attention  favorably  drawn  towards  it. 

Now,  to  meet  successfully  these  various  and  complicated 
duties  requires  great  versatility  of  powers,  and  much  wisdom 
founded  on  experience.  Mere  knowledge  of  literature  and 
science  in  a  teacher  thus  situated  is  but  a  small  part  of  his 
qualifications.  He  must  possess  a  large  share  of  practical 
wisdom,  to  enable  him  so  to  choose  and  apply  means  as  to 
give  energy  and  success  to  a  complicated  system.  None 
acquainted  with  Miss  Lyon  will  doubt  that  she  was  eminently 
successful  in  her  administration  of  several  admirable  schools, 
of  which  the  Holyoke  Seminary  was  the  most  extensive  ;  yet 
was  it  conducted  with  wonderful  skill  and  success.  My  own 
conviction  is,  that  her  talents  for  administration  were  decid- 
edly superior  to  her  skill  as  an  instructor  in  science  or 
literature. 

Character  as  a   Teacher  of  Science  and  Literature. 

I  have  no  doubt  that  Miss  Lyon's  mind  was  better  adapted 
for  giving  instruction  in  science  than  in  literature,  using  the 
latter  term  in  the  sense  of  belles-lettres,  or  polite  literature  ; 
or  rather,  she  could  present  and  illustrate  great  and  demon- 
strative principles  better  than  the  less  settled  and  more  tenu- 
ous distinctions  and  features  of  polite  Iherature.  It  seemed 
to  make  but  little  difierence,  however,  whether  it  was  physi- 


452  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

cal,  intellectual,  or  theological  science,  for  all  these  she  taught 
almost  equally  well. 

Perhaps  the  two  subjects  which  she  taught  with  the  most 
success  were  chemistry  and  Butler's  Analogy  —  subjects 
usually  thought  to  demand  talents  of  quite  different  order. 
In  almost  all  her  schools  she  lectured  on  chemistry,  and  per- 
formed the  experiments  with  much  success.  To  do  this 
well  requires  qualifications  of  a  rather  peculiar  kind ;  and 
in  very  few  cases  do  we  find  these  qualifications  in  persons 
devoted  to  polite  literature  or  intellectual  and  moral  science. 
But  whoever  has  ingenuity,  and  has  been  taught  in  early  life 
how  to  perform  domestic  labors  with  neatness  and  thorough- 
ness, might  hope  to  be  at  home  in  the  laboratory. 

Miss  Lyon,  however,  possessed  great  versatility  of  talent ; 
and  in  whatever  department  of  literature  or  science  engaged, 
a  looker-on  woula  suppose  that  to  be  her  favorite  pursuit. 
She  was,  indeed,  deeply  interested  in  every  branch  of  learn- 
ing that  developed  new  and  important  principles  and  facts ; 
and  what  branch  does  not  develop  these  ?  Hence  it  was, 
as  we  have  seen,  that  she  entered  with  keen  relish  into  the 
dry  details  even  of  grammar. 

Great  was  her  ability,  also,  to  communicate  her  own  inter- 
est and  enthusiasm  to  the  minds  of  her  pupils.  Indeed,  en- 
thusiasm is  always  contagious,  and  has  ever  been  one  of  the 
grand  principles  employed  by  Providence  for  urging  men 
forward  in  important  and  noble  labors. 

She  was  distinguished,  also,  for  the  thoroughness  of  her 
instructions.  There  was  no  such  thing  as  a  pupil's  slurring 
over  a  recitation  with  her.  Next  to  the  religious  interests 
of  her  schools  was  her  anxiety  to  maintain  a  high  standard 
of  scholarship.  Because  she  had  succeeded  in  making  the 
terms  of  her  new  seminary  so  low  that  the  compafatively 
poor  might  come  there,  she  knew  that  the  impression  would 
be  created  that  the  course  of  study  would  be  limited  and 
imperfect ;  whereas  her  determination  was,  that  it  should  be 


AS   A    RELIGIOUS    TEACHER.  453 

as  extensive  and  thorough,  in  all  the  more  solid  branches  of 
learning,  as  any  female  school  in  the  land ;  and  those  whc 
have  attended  the  annual  examinations  of  that  school  must 
have  been  convinced  of  her  success.* 

As  a  religions  Teacher. 

I  shall  probably  express  the  opinion  of  all  who  have  been 
members  of  her  schools  when  I  say  that  Miss  Lyon's  superi- 
ority as  a  teacher  was  nowhere  so  conspicuous  as  in  her 
religious  instruction.  Nowhere  else  has  her  death  occa- 
sioned such  a  blank.  At  least  five  times  each  week  did  she 
feel  it  her  duty  to  explain  and  comment  upon  some  portion 
of  Scripture  before  her  school ;  and  the  extra  occasions  for 
such  expositions  were  numerous.  For  most  of  these  occa- 
sions she  made  preparation  by  a  careful  study  of  the  Bible, 
and  usually  by  nqting  down  the  leading  thoughts  she  wished 
to  present.  They  were,  in  fact,  skeletons  of  sermons, 
though  I  am  not  aware  that  one  of  the  sermons  was  ever 
written  out.  Many  of  these  skeletons  are  in  my  hand,  and 
if  it  were  possible,  I  should  add  some  of  them  as  an  appendix 
to  this  work,  as  a  sample  of  her  mode  of  presenting  reli- 
gious truth.  Mrs.  Cowles,  however,  has  given  us,  in  Part 
II.  of  this  memoir,  some  vivid  recollections  of  Miss  Lyon's 
mode  of  religious  teaching,  and  in  Section  II.  of  this  part 
I  have  quoted  from  the  journal  of  the  institution  several  de- 
scriptions of  her  religious  discourses.  They  were  probably 
among  the  most  efficient  means  by  which  so  high  a  standard 
of  piety  was  maintained,  and  so  many  were  converted. 

*  At  one  of  these  examinations,  when  the  senior  class  had  just 
recited  to  Miss  Lyon  in  Butler's  Analogy,  we  happened  to  overhear 
the  conversation  between  two  presidents  of  colleges  who  were  on 
the  platform.  Says  one  of  them,  "How  is  it  that  these  young  la- 
dies recite  in  Butler  so  much  better  than  our  senior  classes  ?  "  "1 
do  not  know,"  was  the  reply,  "  unless  it  be  that  they  have  a  better 
teacher." 


454  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

A  prejudice,  certainly  not  always  unreasonable,  exists 
against  female  preachers.  When  they  address  promiscuous 
audiences  of  both  sexes,  it  is,  perhaps,  always  of  questiona- 
ble utility.  But  shall  we  hence  conclude  that  woman  in  no 
circumstances  may  expound  the  Scriptures  to  her  own  sex  ? 
Is  it  not  specially  commendable  in  teachers  ?  Because  they 
take  a  text,  and  present  the  truth,  it  may  be,  in  as  logical, 
forcible,  and  impressive  a  manner  as  the  able  male  minister 
of  the  gospel,  is  the  practice  to  be  condemned  ?  Surely  not 
with  reasonable  men.  I  never  had  an  opportunity  to  hear 
Miss  Lyon  sermonize.  I  presume  I  should  have  sought  the 
opportunity  in  vain.  But  from  the  brief  outlines  of  her 
efforts  in  this  direction  which  I  have  looked  over,  and  from 
the  accounts  of  such  efforts  by  her  pupils,  I  cannot  doubt 
that  they  were  characterized  by  a  logical  ability,  theological 
accuracy,  biblical  knowledge,  and  evangelical  unction,  from 
which  many  a  male  minister  of  the  gospel  might  learn  much. 
She  was  a  diligent  student  of  the  Bible,  and  not  only  im- 
bibed its  spirit  deeply,  but  had  a  clear  conception  of  its  doc- 
trines as  a  science.  Her  doctrinal  system  was  that  of  Cal- 
vinism, as  explained  by  the  ablest  American  divines.  Her 
expositions  to  her  school,  however,  were  usually  of  a  character 
highly  practical,  and  she  took  no  great  interest  in  discussions 
merely  speculative.  In  the  skeletons  of  her  discourses  you 
see  but  few  formal  statements  and  defences  of  doctrines. 
But  these  formed  the  foundation  on  which  she  rested  her 
instructions,  and  from  which  she  drew  her  strongest  appeals. 

An  interesting  and  instructive  fact,  as  to  Miss  Lyon's  feel- 
ings about  communicating  public  religious  instruction,  is 
given  by  Mrs.  Porter,  in  her  account  of  Miss  Lyon's  last 
visit  to  her  house.  It  appears  that  a  leading  object  she  had 
in  view,  in  resorting  to  that  sweet  resting-place,  was  to  pre- 
pare herself  for  communicating  religious  instruction,  because 
she  never  before  had  realized  so  much  her  responsibility, 
and  she  hoped  in  that  quiet  chamber  to  obtain  anew  the 


CHARACTER   AS    A    WRITER.  455 

wisdom  and  grace  she  needed.  For  almost  thirty  years  had 
she  been  in  the  habit  of  dispensing  divine  truth  to  her  pupils, 
and,  in  the  estimation  of  every  one  but  herself,  with  great 
skill,  and  certainly  with  great  success.  Yet  at  that  late 
period  did  she  so  shrink  from  this  iWork  that  it  was  only  by 
earnest  prayer  that  she  could  obtain  courage  and  confidence 
enough  to  continue  the  effort.  O,  were  those  of  us  who 
preach  the  gospel  more  holy,  how  much  more  should  we 
tremble  when  we  think  what  a  work  is  committed  to  us,  and 
what  a  high  honor  and  privilege  are  conferred  upon  us  ! 

Character  as  a  Writer. 
Miss  Lyon  never  wrote  but  one  book,  and  that  a  small 
18mo.  of  one  hundred  and  two  pages  —  the  "  Missionary  Of- 
fering." This  was  prepared  upon  the  spur  of  a  special 
occasion,  and  in  a  brief  time.  Nevertheless,  as  a  literary 
production  it  is  not  devoid  of  merit.  Its  plan  demands  much 
strength  of  imagination  to  raise  it  above  ridicule.  We  see 
at  once  that  the  writer  is  rather  unaccustomed  to  the  armor 
she  has  put  on ;  yet  we  also  see  that  a  little  practice  only 
would  make  it  fit  quite  gracefully.  Aside  from  the  imagi- 
native part  of  the  work,  it  contains  some  fine  descriptions, 
•^rhe  account  of  "  the  mountain  home,"  in  Part  I.  of  this 
memoir,  will  be  recollected  by  our  readers  as  one  exam- 
ple. One  of  the  concluding  paragraphs  contains  sentiments 
so  admirable,  and  expressed  in  language  so  appropriate,  that 
I  give  it  as  a  sample  of  what  she  might  have  done  as  a 
writer,  had  duty  led  her  to  devote  herself  to  authorship. 

"  These  were  the  words  uttered  by  the  voice  of  Wisdom, 
and,  as  she  ceased,  my  thoughts  returned  to  my  own  bosom. 
A  sense  of  my  own  individual  responsibility  rested  upon  me 
with  an  indescribable  weight.  I  felt  that  my  duty  in  my 
own  little  sphere,  and  with  my  own  feeble  ability,  was  more 
to  me  in  the  sight  of  God  than  the  duty  of  all  the  world 
besides.      Could    I    throw    my   influence    over    the    whole 


456  THE    VICTORY   GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

country,  and  bring  thousands  into  the  treasury  of  the  Lord,  it 
might  not  be  so  important  a  duty  for  me  as  to  give  from  my 
own  little  purse  that  last  farthing  which  God  requires.  Could 
I  make  my  voice  heard  from  one  end  of  the  land  to  the 
other,  and  so  plead  in  behalf  of  the  perishing  heathen  that 
all  our  missionary  concerts  should  be  filled  with  hearts  bow- 
ing together  in  the  presence  of  God,  it  might  not  be  so  im- 
portant a  duty  for  me  as  to  carry  my  own  feeble  petition 
myself  to  the  throne  of  mercy,  and  there,  in  the  name  of 
our  blessed  Redeemer,  plead  the  promises  with  an  earnest- 
ness which  cannot  be  denied.  While  I  mused  on  these 
things,  my  heart  seemed  ready  to  sink  under  its  load,  and  I 
fled  away  to  the  cross  of  Christ,  that  there  my  weak  and 
fainting  spirit  might  find  support,  comfort,  and  guidance. 
There  I  looked  up  and  cried,  '  My  dear  Redeemer,  make 
me  to  know  the  fellowship  of  thy  sitferings ;  make  me 
conformable  to  thy  death.'  Then  under  the  banner  of 
the  Savior's  dying  love,  I  felt  it  to  be  the  most  precious 
privilege  in  the  universe  to  deny  myself,  to  take  up 
my  cross,  and  to  follow  the  Lamb  whithersoever  he 
goeth."  — p.  101. 

Miss  Lyon  issued  not  a  few  circulars,  explanatory  of  her 
schools,  and  often  containing  important  hints  upon  education ;» 
and  these,  with  her  letters,  as  given  in  this  work,  are  the 
only  other  means  we  possess  of  learning  her  character  as  a 
writer.  The  practised  author  will  see  at  once  that,  while 
there  is  great  strength  and  directness  in  her  style,  there  is 
too  much  diffuseness  and  repetition.  Her  mind  seemed  to 
be  so  full  of  ideas  and  illustrations  that  she  allowed  too 
many  of  them  to  escape  from  her  pen.  She  seems  never 
to  have  learnt  the  most  important  art,  so  useful,  and  yet  so 
seldom  practised,  of  condensing  her  thoughts  as  much  as 
possible.  To  spend  a  few  months  in  a  modern  telegraph 
office  would  be  a  most  useful  discipline  for  persons  whose 
minds  seem  to  be  crowded  with  thoughts. 


SOCIAL    CHARACTER.  457 

Prudence. 
Persons  of  great  strength  and  decision  of  character,  who 
engage  in  any  new  enterprise,  which,  if  successful,  will  put 
others  into  the  background,  usually  raise  up  not  a  few  ene- 
mies. But  such  was  not  the  case  with  Miss  Lyon.  Those 
who  did  not  like  her  plans  rarely,  if  ever,  thought  of  cen- 
suring her  severely.  One  reason  was,  that  the  evidence  of 
sincerity  and  purity  of  motives  was  too  palpable  to  be  mis- 
taken. But  another  reason  was,  that  she  put  an  unusual 
restraint  upon  her  tongue.  She  was  remarkably  fluent  in 
conversation,  and  often  for  hours  would  talk  almost  con- 
stantly ;  yet  I  do  not  remember  ever  hearing  any  thing  she 
said  quoted  as  injuring  any  one's  feelings,  or  of  a  partisan 
or  sectarian  character.  She  must  have  been  remarkably 
prudent  to  talk  so  much  without  dropping  any  thing  which 
even  enemies  could  take  hold  of.  But  it  hardly  needed  so 
much  watchfulness  over  her  words  as  some  must  exercise, 
because  she  had  no  feelings  save  those  of  kindness  towards 
any  one.  When  thwarted  or  neglected  by  any  one,  she  felt 
it  keenly ;  but  a  few  tears  and  a  short  prayer  usually  restored 
her  serenity  and  kind  feeling,  and  I  doubt  if  any  one  can 
recollect  severe  remarks  which  she  ever  made  towards 
others.  She  had  great  power  in  making  a  thing  appear 
ridiculous,  yet  she  never  ridiculed  persons,  but  only  opinions. 

Social  Character. 
Her  great  readiness  in  conversation  and  generous  warmth 
of  heart  adapted  her  to  become  the  life  of  a  social  circle 
But  so  full  of  labors  were  her  days  that  she  could  not  devote 
as  much  time  to  social  intercourse  as  she  could  have  wished. 
Yet  wherever  known,  she  was  ever  a  welcome  guest ;  and  she 
always  delighted  to  make  those  happy  with  whom  she  asso- 
ciated. Young  children  were  great  favorites,  and  her  influ- 
ence over  them  was  strong  and  salutary. 
39 


458  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

As  a  Friend. 

We  suspect  that  the  pages  of  this  memoir  have  dis- 
closed one  trait  in  this  woman  which  will  rather  surprise 
many  who  had  no  intimate  knowledge  of  her  charac- 
ter. I  refer  to  the  great  warmth  and  ardor  of  her  attach- 
ment to  her  confidential  friends.  It  rose  in  some  cases 
almost  to  the  romantic  feelings  of  what  goes  by  the  specific 
name  of  love.  It  shows  us  how  well  adapted  was  her  nature 
for  a  devoted  attachment  to  a  husband  and  children,  and 
how  happy  a  man  must  have  been  who  should  receive  such 
love  from  such  a  heart,  had  not  a  sense  of  duty  to  higher 
objects  constrained  her  to  lavish  that  love  upon  the  world 
rather  than  an  individual. 

In  addition  to  the  ladies  already  named  to  whom  Miss 
Lyon  was  so  ardently  attached,  she  had  many  highly  es- 
teemed friends,  with  whom  she  delighted  to  spend  a  few 
hours,  or  a  day,  from  time  to  time  ;  and  all  such  found  her 
friendship  an  unfailing  and  unchanging  spring,  from  which 
the  waters  always  gushed  forth  warm  and  abundant.  Reli- 
gion was  the  basis  of  all  her  friendships,  and  hence  nothing 
but  your  desertion  of  its  principles  or  spirit  could  alienate 
her  feelings. 

Hospitality. 

Herself  for  so  long  a  wanderer,  Miss  Lyon  knew  how 
sweet  to  such  was  a  cordial  and  sincere  welcome.  Hence, 
when  she  had  secured  a  home,  its  doors  were  ever  wide 
open  to  all  her  friends.  Although  in  that  hospitable  man- 
sion she  was  necessarily  much  occupied,  yet  you  knew  that 
she  would  do  all  she  could  for  your  happiness. 

Cheerfulness. 

This  trait  of  character  was  most  remarkably  developed 
in  our  friend.     Never,  in  the  most  trying  periods  of  her 


ECONOMY.  459 

great  struggle,  when  almost  every  other  heart  seemed  sad 
at  the  prospect  of  failure  —  never  did  I  see  a  cloud  over  her 
countenance.  But  it  was  always  radiant  with  hope.  Through 
the  glass  of  faith  she  could  look  beyond  the  darkness,  and 
see  the  sky  clear.  Doubtless  a  vigorous  state  of  bodily 
health  contributed  very  much  to  this  continual  sunshine,  as 
an  opposite  state  often  does  to  darkness  and  despondency ; 
yet  faith  in  God's  providence  and  confidence  in  her  principles 
were  no  less  necessary  to  maintain  her  almost  unvarying 
buoyancy  of  spirit.  And  it  contributed  exceedingly  to  the 
pleasure  of  her  social  intercourse  that  she  seemed  always 
to  be  looking  at  the  bright  side  of  objects,  and  never  ob- 
truded her  private  troubles  upon  your  notice. 

Economy  and  Self-denial. 

These  two  virtues,  so  intimately  related,  were  by  Miss 
Lyon  reduced  almost  to  mathematical  rules.  As  to  econo- 
my, she  did  not  push  it  to  such  extremes  as  to  starve  the 
body  or  the  mind,  or  to  produce  noticeable  singularity.  In 
respect  to  dress,  while  she  would  have  it  plain  and  enduring, 
she  would  have  it  decent  and  appropriate ;  not  exciting 
attention,  like  the  inmates  of  monasteries  and  nunneries,  by 
its  coarseness  and  peculiar  fashion,  which  say  to  the  be- 
holder, "  See  how  self-denying  we  are,  and  how  separate 
from  the  world  ! "  Rather  did  she  prefer,  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, to  conform  to  the  prevailing  modes  of  dress,  so  as 
not  to  excite  attention  ;  and  moreover  all  nature  taught  her 
that  Providence  never  meant  that  man  should  cover  him- 
self with  garments  that  make  the  human  form  disgusting. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  the  prevailing  fashions  required  that 
costly  and  finical  ornaments  should  be  added  to  garments 
already  comfortable  and  becoming,  she  did  not  hesitate  tc 
be  singular,  because  such  fashions  required  sacrifices  which 
she  could  not  make. 

As  to  food  and  drink,  the  fundamental  principle  adopted 


460  THE    VICTORY   GAINED   AND    SECURED, 

at  the  seminary  has  been,  that  such  kinds  and  in  such  quan- 
tity should  be  used  as  would  give  the  greatest  strength  and 
ability  to  labor,  both  bodily  and  mentally,  and  secure  the 
best  and  most  permanent  health.  These  objects,  according 
to  the  established  principles  of  physiology,  demand  that  the 
solid  food,  whether  vegetable  or  animal,  should  be  plain,  and 
substantial,  and  well  cooked  ;  and  no  one  who  has  been  a 
frequent  guest  at  the  table  of  the  seminary  can  doubt  that 
these  principles  have  been  substantially  carried  out  there. 
As  to  the  cooking,  I  have  found  it  decidedly  superior  to  that 
met  with  generally  in  the  larger  hotels  and  boarding-houses 
in  our  country.  Many  probably  would  miss  some  delica- 
cies, which  a  person  accustomed  to  them  would  deem  quite 
important,  but  which  are,  in  fact,  deleterious.  Some,  too, 
doubtless,  never  get  reconciled  to  the  habit  of  using  cold 
water  only  at  meals,  which  is  used  by  all  save  those  on  the 
sick  list.  And  by  such  a  practice,  many,  I  doubt  not,  are 
saved  from  that  list ;  for  I  hesitate  not  to  say  that  the  ablest 
physiologists  in  every  age  are  decided  in  the  opinion  that 
water,  "  unmixed  and  unspoiled,"  is  the  best  of  all  drinks  for 
the  young,  and  that  to  become  strongly  attached  to  other 
beverages,  such  as  tea  and  coffee,  is  an  indication  of  the 
commencement  of  a  morbid  state  of  the  system. 

In  respect  to  the  above  points,  and  all  others,  indeed, 
where  economy  and  retrenchment  were  practised  at  the  semi- 
nary, we  may  truly  say  that  there  was  no  extravagance  of 
opinion  or  action  ;  but  the  rule  of  the  Latin  poet,  so  useful 
in  many  of  the  affairs  of  this  world,  was  adopted,  — 

"  Est  modus  in  rebus  :  sunt  certi  denique  fines, 
Quos  ultra  citraque  nequit  consistere  rectum."  * 

There  was  another  class  of   objects   about  which  Miss 

*  There  is  a  medium  in  things  ;  there  are  certain  boimds,  beyond 
which  and  within  which  the  truth  is  not  found. 


GRATIFICATION    OF    TASTE.  461 

Lyon  was  obliged  to  have  some  fixed  principles.  There 
was  a  chord  in  her  soul  that  responded  quickly  to  whatever 
in  the  fine  arts  or  other  arts  was  agreeable  to  good  taste. 
How  far,  then,  should  she  go  in  gratifying  a  taste  for  the 
productions  of  the  artist,  the  architect,  the  landscape  gar- 
dener, &c.  ?  She  was  sure  that  the  cultivation  of  such  a 
laste  was  lawful,  even  for  a  religious  man,  in  some  circum- 
stances. But  such  objects  were  for  the  most  part  beyond  her 
pecuniary  means,  unless  she  gave  up  a  darling  feature  in  the 
seminary,  and  followed  the  example  of  too  many  of  our 
female  schools,  which  put  their  terms  just  as  high  as  the 
public  will  bear.  So  far  as  comfort  and  respectability  of 
appearance  were  concerned  we  have  seen  that  she  felt  it 
her  duty  to  go.  But  all  beyond  this,  unless  offered  as  a  gift 
from  her  friends,  she  subjected  to  the  test  of  its  comparative 
importance.  Fine  architecture,  fine  paintings  and  music, 
beautiful  gardens,  with  fountains  and  statuary,  &c.,  are  quite 
desirable.  But  then,  while  the  world  is  so  full  of  ignorance, 
irreligion,  and  misery  as  it  now  is,  while  the  funds  of  our 
benevolent  and  educational  institutions  are  so  entirely  inade- 
quate to  the  noble  objects  they  have  in  view,  is  it  right  for 
the  Christian,  especially  for  one  of  limited  means,  to  indulge 
in  objects  of  taste,  or  any  superfluities,  which,  however  law- 
ful and  desirable  in  themselves,  are  certainly  far  inferior  in 
importance  to  the  renovation  of  the  world  ?  This  question 
Miss  Lyon  decided  in  the  negative,  and  acted  accordingly. 
We  have  seen  that  she  expended  from  twelve  hundred  to 
fifteen  hundred  dollars,  after  leaving  Ipswich,  in  getting  up 
the  seminary,  —  probably  about  all  she  then  possessed, — and 
that  she  left  to  the  cause  of  missions  nearly  the  whole  of 
the  property  that  remained  at  her  death,  viz.,  two  thousand 
dollars.  But  this  was  only  a  small  part  of  her  benefactions. 
I  am  credibly  informed  that  she  expended  more  for  benevo- 
lent objects,  from  year  to  year,  than  she  used  for  herself, 
exclusive  of  board.  How  few  Christians  reach  such  a 
39* 


462  THE    VICTORY   GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

Standard  as  this  !     If  they  did,  what  an  altered  aspect  would 
the  world  soon  exhibit ! 

Leading  Motives  of  Action. 

There  are  three  leading  selfish  motives  which,  I  fear,  will 
go  far,  in  many  cases,  to  explain  the  gigantic  and  self-denying 
labors  men  have  undergone  to  found  and  establish  new  insti- 
tutions, economical,  educational,  and  religious.  The  first  is 
the  hope  of  pecuniary  gain  ;  the  second,  a  love  of  distinc- 
tion among  men  ;  and  the  third,  the  hope  of  posthumous 
reputation.  Let  us  see  whether  Miss  Lyon  could  have  been 
influenced  by  any  of  these. 

It  was  surely  not  a  love  of  money  ;  for,  by  the  very  con- 
stitution of  the  seminary,  both  she  and  all  connected  with  it 
were  cut  off  from  the  hope  of  making  money,  save  so  far 
as  to  enable  them  to  live  in  the  most  economical  manner. 

As  to  the  two  other  selfish  motives,  —  the  desire  of  a 
name  before  or  after  death,  —  what  sentence  is  there,  in  all 
her  correspondence  given  in  this  memoir,  that  could  be  con- 
strued into  such  a  desire  ?  And  had  there  been  any  such 
intimation  in  her  unpublished  letters,  the  compilers  would 
certainly  have  brought  it  out.  For  in  their  work  they  have 
kept  a  sharper  lookout  for  defects  than  excellences  in  her 
character.  They  know  that  in  the  lives  of  most  persons 
eminent  for  benevolence  the  little  imp,  selfishness,  is  not  un- 
frequently  seen  peeping  out  from  behind  the  cloak  of  benev- 
olence ;  and  hence  our  readers  would  expect  some  such 
development  in  the  case  of  Miss  Lyon.  But  those  most 
intimate  with  her  were  not  able  to  discover  it. 

But  the  following  extract  of  a  letter  to  Miss  Grant,  dated 
March  1,  1833,  just  as  she  was  about  leaving  Ipswich  to 
commence  her  great  enterprise,  affords  the  best  development 
of  her  motives  of  action  which  I  have  found ;  and  there  are 
in  it  such  marks  of  verisimilitude  as  must  satisfy  any  one 
that  she  speaks  the  honest  sentiments  of  her  heart.     I  give 


MOTIVES    OF    ACTION.  463 

it,  with  some  comments,  as  quoted  by  me  in  my  address  at 
the  anniversary  subsequent  to  her  death,  although  it  has 
already  been  presented  in  Part  II.  p.  178. 

"  '  For  myself,  if  I  should  separate  from  you,  I  have  no 
definite  plan  ;  but  my  thoughts,  feelings,  and  judgment  are 
turned  towards  the  middle  classes  of  society.  For  this  class 
I  want  to  labor,  and  for  this  class  I  consider  myself  rather 
peculiarly  fitted  to  labor.  To  this  class  in  society  would  I 
devote  directly  all  the  remainder  of  my  strength,  (God  per- 
mitting ;)  not  to  the  higher  classes,  not  to  the  poorer  classes. 
The  middle  class  contains  the  main  springs  and  main 
wheels  which  are  to  move  the  world.  Whatever  field  1 
should  occupy,  it  must  be  a  humble,  lahorious  work.  How 
I  could  get  a  footing  sufficiently  firm  for  my  feet  to  rest 
upon  the  remainder  of  my  days,  where  my  hands  could 
work,  I  know  not.  But  by  wandering  about  a  year  or  two, 
perhaps  Providence  might  open  the  door.  I  should  seek  for 
nothing  permanent  after  my  decease  as  to  the  location  of  my 
labors  ;  but  I  should  consider  it  desirable  that  I  should  occu- 
py but  one  more  field,  that  I  should  make  but  one  more 
remove,  till  I  remove  into  my  grave.' 

"  What  a  beautiful  development  of  Christian  character 
does  this  extract  present !  What  a  waiting  upon  God  and 
confidence  in  his  providence  !  How  and  where  she  could 
get  a  foothold  to  labor  she  knew  not ;  '  but  by  wandering 
about  a  year  or  two,  perhaps  Providence  might  open  the 
door.'  How  does  such  faith  remind  us  of  that  other  servant 
of  God,  who,  '  when  he  was  called  to  go  out  into  a  place, 
which  he  should  after  receive  for  an  inheritance,  obeyed  ; 
and  he  went  out,  not  knowing  whither  he  went.'  What  hu- 
mility and  readiness  to  labor  are  here  shown  !  '  Whatever 
field  I  should  occupy,  it  must  be  a  humble  and  laborious 
work.'  Yet  what  holy  sagacity  is  exhibited  in  strongly  de- 
siring to  labor  for  the  middle  classes,  because  '  they  are  the 
main  springs  and  main  wheels  to  move  the  world'!    That  is, 


464  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

she  wished  to  labor  where  her  efforts  would  do  the  most 
good.  And  finally,  what  perfect  freedom  from  the  ambition 
of  having  her  name  attached  to  some  great  institution,  by 
which  many  have  supposed  she  was  actuated  in  her  severe 
labors !  '  I  should  seek  for  nothing  permanent  after  my  de- 
cease as  to  the  location  of  my  labors.'  How  evident  that 
such  a  state  of  mind  was  just  the  one  that  was  needed  for 
the  herculean  task  of  founding  this  institution  !  and  how  ob- 
viously it  was  the  natural  result  of  that  long  and  severe  dis- 
cipline through  which  she  had  passed  ! " 

The  conclusion  to  which  all  the  facts  lead  us,  and  which 
accords  with  the  unanimous  opinion  of  all  her  most  intimate 
friends,  is,  that  the  leading  motive  of  her  life  was  the  benev- 
olence of  the  gospel.  It  was  a  simple  desire  to  advance 
God's  glory  and  man's  good.  These  are  convertible  terms, 
and  whoever  promotes  the  one  cannot  but  advance  the  other. 
Hers  was  a  benevolence  that  embraced  every  human  being, 
and  hence  her  intense  interest  in  foreign  missions.  But  it 
did  not,  therefore,  omit  to  feel  a  deeper  interest  in  those  with 
whom  she  was  connected  by  the  ties  of  nature,  of  friendship, 
or  of  proximity.  Because  God  had  placed  these  individuals 
near  to  her  in  order  to  call  forth  her  special  attention,  she 
thought  a  sufficient  reason  for  laboring  and  praying  more 
earnestly  in  their  behalf.  And  still  there  was  room  enough 
in  her  large  heart  for  all  the  world  beside. 

If  we  look  back  upon  the  whole  life  of  Miss  Lyon,  we  can 
hardly  fail  to  see  that  the  controlling  influence  of  Christian 
benevolence  was  the  grand  secret  of  her  extraordinary  suc- 
cess. If  we  watch  the  progress  of  most  Christians,  we  shall 
see  that,  although  love  to  God  and  to  man  predominates  in 
their  lives,  the  leaven  of  selfishness  is  largely  mixed  with 
higher  motives,  sometimes  almost  to  the  time  when  they 
exchange  worlds.  But  just  so  soon  as  Miss  Lyon  sat  down 
calmly  to  examine  her  spiritual  condition,  —  probably  when 
she  first  went  to  the  school  at  Byfield,  —  she  seems  to  have 


DEFECTS    OF    CHARACTEK.  465 

consecrated  herself  more  entirely  to  the  works  and  principles 
of  benevolence  than  is  scarcely  ever  vvitnessed.  From  that 
time- to  the  day  of  her  death  it  is  difficult  to  discover,  from 
any  thing  she  said,  or  wrote,  or  did,  any  mixture  of  selfish- 
ness with  benevolence.  During  her  childish  days,  at  the 
primary  school  and  the  academy,  it  is  probable  that  the 
pride  of  superior  abilities  and  the  love  of  distinction  were 
spurs  to  her  efforts  ;  though  even  then  we  have  testimony 
that  she  seismed  unconscious  of  her  superiority.  But  when 
at  Byfield  she  made  up  her  mind  to  be  a  Christian  indeed,  she 
put  away  childish  things.  The  sun,  as  it  rose  above  the 
mountains,  was  a  full-orbed  circle,  and  so  it  continued  till  it 
set  in  glory.  Spots  there  were,  undoubtedly,  upon  its  surface, 
aiid  they  seemed  to  her  almost  to  cover  its  face.  But  it 
needs  better  glasses  than  I  have  found  to  discover  them. 

Defects  of  Character. 

The  defects  of  a  person's  character  appear  less  or  greater, 
according  as  we  agree  with  or  dissent  from  his  opinions  and 
courses  of  conduct.  Now,  Miss  Lyon's  opinions  upon  educa- 
tion and  religion  were  distinctly  marked,  and  her  practice 
very  decided.  Those  who  reject  the  doctrines  of  evangelical 
or  orthodox  religion,  will,  of  course,  regard  her  tenacious 
adherence  to  them  and  decided  inculcation  of  them  as  un- 
happy defects,  vvhich  more  light  would  have  removed.  So 
those  who  regard  revivals  of  religion  as  of  doubtful  utility,  or 
the  result  of  fanaticism,  and  those  who  suppose  it  indelicate 
for  a  teacher  to  make  individual  appeals  to  her  pupils  respect- 
ing personal  religiofi,  will  regard  the  whole  system  of  means 
adopted  by  this  lady  as  improper.  Those  also  who  object  to 
a  young  lady's  being  obliged  to  engage  in  culinary  operations 
while  at  school  will  regard  the  system  in  operation  at  South 
Hadlcy  as  a  defect  in  Miss  Lyon's  judgment.  Many  also 
consider  the  exclusion  from  that  school,  to  so  great  a  degree, 
of  certain  ornamental  and  fashionable  branches,  such  as 
painting,  music,  and  dancing,  as  a  most  serious  defect. 


466  THE    VICTOllY   GAINED   AND    SECURED 

Now,  Miss  Lyon  never  expected  to  please  persons  who 
differed  from  her  on  such  points.  While  she  entertained  the 
kindest  feelings  towards  such,  she  did  not  expect  their  pat- 
ronage ;  although,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  many  such  have  sent 
their  daughters  to  her  school ;  showing,  at  least,  their  liber- 
ality and  confidence  in  her  honesty  of  intention.  Yet,  partly 
from  these  differences  of  opinion,  and  partly  from  the  public 
life  Miss  Lyon  was  obliged  to  lead  for  several  years,  many 
strange  notions  concerning  her  have  prevailed  in  the  com- 
munity. 

Not  a  few,  for  instance,  have  looked  upon  her  as  a  sort 
of  Amazon,  of  strong  mind  and  inflexible  purpose,  but  want- 
ing in  those  tender  and  delicate  feelings  which  are  appropriate 
to  woman.  But  it  does  seem  as  if  her  letters  to  her  intimate 
friends,  given  in  this  volume,  ought  to  remove  such  an  im- 
pression, and  convince  every  one  that  there  was  a  warmth 
and  intensity  in  her  attachments  and  sympathies,  which 
seems  more  like  the  enthusiasm  of  the  devoted  lover  than  the 
cool,  calculating  friendship  of  the  stern  and  the  phlegmatic. 
I  fancy  that,  even  to  many  of  her  acquaintance,  this  will  be 
a  new  feature  in  her  character.  For  during  most  of  her 
public  life  was  she  obliged  to  suppress  these  more  tender 
and  delicate  feelings,  and  do  the  work  of  a  resolute  and 
persevering  man.* 


*  One  misrepresentation  respecting  her  school  Miss  Lyon  tried 
hard  to  correct,  but  with  indifferent  success  ;  for  up  even  to  the 
present  time  we  find  her  school  represented  as  "  a  manual  labor 
school."  (Dr.  Davis's  Half  Century,  &c.,  p.  75.)  Certainly  Dr. 
Davis  meant  to  state  only  the  truth  of  the  case ;  but  we  have  had 
other  proofs  that  this  opinion  is  widely  spread.  Yet  in  the  domestic 
arrangements  of  the  school  she  never  dreamt  of  any  such  plan.  She 
introduced  this  feature  into  her  school  because  she  thought  it  would 
contribute  to  the  comfort  and  independence  of  the  pupils,  because 
she  thought  it  would  encourage  mothers  to  teach  their  daughters 
domestic  work,  because  she  thoui'ht  it  would  tend  to  make  such 


MINOR    DEFECTS.  467 

To  those  large  classes  of  the  community  who  sympathize 
with  Miss  Lyon  in  her  views  of  religion  and  domestic  econ- 
omy, the  features  of  her  character  and  policy  above  referred 
to,  instead  of  being  regarded  as  defects,  are  looked  upon  as 
her  chief  glory.  Still  I  do  not  deny  that  even  in  the  eyes  of 
such  she  had  defects.  I  have  already  intimated  that  I  had 
not  been  able  to  discover  any  moral  defects,  though  doubt- 
less they  existed.  Her  defects  related  to  matters  of  less 
consequence. 

Enough,  probably,  has  been  said  about  minor  defects  in 
her  manners.  So  often  had  this  subject  been  brought  to  her 
notice  in  early  life  by  her  intimate  friends,  that  she  thought 
her  deficiencies  were  many,  and  submitted  herself  to  their 
training.  But  she  never  took  lessons  of  the  dancing,  or  the 
drawing,  or  the  music  master;  and  she  found  too  little  interest 
in  the  minute  rules  of  polite  society  to  keep  her  attention 
much  upon  them,  and  so  she  made  up  her  mind  to  endeavor 
to  treat  all  men  according  to  the  gospel  standard  of  politeness, 
and  be  satisfied.  Had  she  taken  the  opposite  course,  I  doubt 
not  she  would  have  passed  for  a  fine  lady,  and  been  welcome 
in  the  saloon,  the  ball-room,  and  the  pleasure  party ;  but  I 
doubt  whether  her  manners  would  have  been  as  acceptable 
to  the  middling  classes  of  society  as  they  have  been ;  and  I 
am  quite  sure  that  this  memoir  would  not  have  been  called 
for  after  her  death. 

The  idea  that  Miss  Lyon  was  gross  in  her  manners,  and 
negligent  in  her  dress,  after  she  became  a  teacher,  is  not 
true.  She  was  unassuming  and  kind,  though  frank  in  her 
address,  hospitable  without  stint  in  her  seminary,  dignified  in 
public,  fluent  and  able  in  conversation,  and  ever  ready  to  aid 
others  when  in  her  power.     And  such  politeness  she  taught 

labors  respectable,  and  because  she  thought  that  the  daughters  of 
the  middling  and  poorer  classes,  at  least,  ought  not  to  become  wives 
till  they  learnt  how  to  take  care  of  a  family. 


468  THE    VICTORY    GAINED    AND    SECURED. 

and  illustrated  in  her  schools.  If  any  parents  wished  their 
daughters  to  learn  the  minor  graces  of  manners,  she  desired 
them  to  go  somewhere  else.  She  taught  only  the  great 
principles  of  dress  and  manners,  and  expressly  declared  that 
her  school  was  not  intended  to  give  a  complete  education, 
but.  only  its  essential  parts.  This  whole  subject,  however, 
has  been  so  well  treated  in  Part  II.  of  this  memoir,  that  I  need 
not  add  another  word. 

I  have  often  thought,  without,  however,  having  had  much 
opportunity  for  personal  examination,  that  Miss  Lyon  had  the 
defect  as  a  teacher  of  using  too  many  words.  Teachers  often 
use  too  few  ;  for  it  is  usually  important  to  repeat  over  again 
and  again  the  principles  of  learning,  before  pupils  will  get  a 
clear  idea  of  them.  But  if  we  undertake  to  explain  them  by 
a  multitude  of  prolix  illustrations,  we  often  produce  confu- 
sion. I  have  thought  often  that  Miss  Lyon  erred  somewhat 
in  this  direction.  Yet  this  defect,  if  it  existed,  was  so  neu- 
tralized by  the  enthusiasm  she  was  able  to  awaken  in  her 
pupils,  and  by  the  clearness  of  her  own  views  of  every  prin- 
ciple she  attempted  to  explain,  that  her  prolixity  was  little 
thought  of. 

Not  a  little  complaint  has  been  made  that  Miss  Lyon's 
great  power  of  physical  and  mental  endurance  led  her  to 
expect  too  much  from  her  pupils.  I  cannot  doubt  that  there 
was  some  foundation  for  this  complaint  ;  and  I  believe,  that 
after  a  time,  in  consequence  of  some  examples  brought  before 
her,  she  became  fully  aware  of  this  tendency.  She  tried,  I 
know,  to  guard  against  it,  and  modified  some  of  her  rules. 
Yet  it  was  not  certainly  till  late  in  life  that  she  had  much 
experimental  knowledge  how  hard  it  is  for  a  person  in  feeble 
health  to  do  the  work  of  one  who  is  vigorous,  or  even  to  do 
any  thing  with  entire  system.  It  should  be  added,  however, 
that  Miss  Lyon  did  not  attempt  to  educate  those  of  feeble 
constitution  and  delicate  habits,  though  willing  that  others 
should  do  it.     But  she  aimed  to  train  up  those  who  might  be 


A    MEAGRE    LIST.  469 

able  to  stand  in  the  front  rank,  in  the  great  battle  which 
learning  and  religion  have  to  sustain  with  ignorance  and 
wickedness,  and  she  could  not  have  two  sets  of  rules  in  the 
same  institution. 

Towards  the  close  of  life,  as  age  and  infirmity  began  to 
show  their  influence,  and  accustomed  as  she  always  had  been 
to  bear  so  many  burdens,  she  seemed  anxious  to  assume  too 
many  duties,  as  if  she  could  do  them  better  than  any  one 
else.  Doubtless  in  this  she  was  greatly  influenced  by  a 
benevolent  desire  to  relieve  others  ,  and  yet  it  often  embar- 
rassed rather  than  assisted  the  other  teachers.  But  an  in- 
firmity of  advancing  age  ought  hardly  to  be  reckoned  a 
defect  of  character,  but  rather  as  a  providential  indication 
that  the  time  for  her  most  active  labors  was  drawing  to  a 
close. 

This  is  certainly  a  meagre  list  of  defects  in  a  character  so 
marked  with  excellences.  A  sympathy  with  her  religious, 
economical,  and  educational  views  in  general,  and  personal 
friendship,  may  have  blinded  me  to  her  failings.  Yet  I  have 
searched  for  them  in  all  quarters,  except  where  I  knew 
strong  prejudice  to  exist,  and  quite  as  diligently  as  for  excel- 
lences. I  do  not  doubt  that  among  her  pupils,  now  and  then, 
one  might  be  found  who  never  sympathized  at  all  with  her 
principles  of  benevolence,  of  education,  or  domestic  duties, 
and  who  yet  was  forced  to  conform  to  rules  based  on  her 
views.  ■  Such  individuals,  I  presume,  would  feel  that  the 
defects  of  Miss  Lyon's  character  were  very  glaring ;  though 
probably  unable  to  define  their  objections,  unless  it  were  to 
complain  of  her  unrivalled  power  of  always  carrying  her 
point.  But  until  such  persons  can  show  that  without  Miss 
Lyon's  principles  and  traits  of  character  they  can  accomplish 
for  the  world's  good  what  she  has  done  with  them,  we  must 
look  upon  their  evidence  as  suspicious. 

That  Miss  Lyon  practised  the  same  rigid  'scrutiny  over 
her  minutest  as  well  as  most  important  actions,  we  have  an 
40 


470  THE    VICTORY   GAINED    AND    SECURED. 

interesting  evidence.  I  have  remarked  that  she  left  no  pri- 
vate journal,  with  one  slight  exception.  That  exception  con- 
sists of  the  following  private  paper,  on  which  she  noted  down 
some  of  those  minor  points  on  which  A  became  her  to  exer- 
cise a  special  watchfulness.  It  shows  how  rigid  was  her 
self-discipline,  and  that  she  was  not  able,  any  more  than 
those  who  have  gone  before  her,  to  reach  a  high  standard  of 
piety  without  strenuous  efforts. 

I.     Worldly  Intrusion  on  sacred  Time. 

1.  In  secret  prayer, 

2.  In  reading  the  Bible. 

3.  In  little  opportunities  for  ejaculatory  prayer. 

4.  In  family  devotions. 

5.  Sabbath  generally. 

6.  "         Hearing  the  word. 

7.  "         Prayer  in  sanctuary. 

8.  "         Communion  service. 

9.  "         Holy  communion  with  God  the  Father,  Son, 
and  Holy  Ghost,  and  with  the  disciples  of  Christ. 

10.  Longing  after  the  blessings  of  the  Sabbath  to  be  dis- 
seminated. 

II.     Misspending  Time, 

1.*  Indefinite  musings. 

2.  Anticipating  needlessly. 

3.  Needless  speculations. 

4.  Indulging  in  reluctance  to  begin  a  duty. 

5.  In  doubtful  cases  not  deciding  at  once. 

6.  Musing  needlessly  on  what  has  been  said  or  done,  or 
what  may  be. 

7.  Spending   time  in  reverie  which  should   be   spent  in 
prayer. 

III.     Self-control. 

1.  Too  ardent  in  a  new  thought. 

2.  Too  desirous  for  immediate  execution. 


MORAL  SUBLIMITY  OF  HER  COURSE.        471 

3.  Feelings  discomposed  by  opposition. 

4..  Expressing  disagreement,  when  it  would  be  better  to 
wait  a  little. 

5._  Reminding  others  of  their  deficiencies,  without  suffi- 
cient object.  (Be  like  Christ.  Inquire,  before  speaking, 
whether  it  will  do  good,  whether  duty  requires  ;  if  not,  avoid 
alluding  to  them.) 

6.  Referring  to  mistakes  of  pupils  in  little  things,  family 
duties,  domestic  work,  &c.  (Inquire  if  they  designed  to  do 
right ;  if  their  mistake  involves  any  general  principle ; 
whether  there  will  be  any  occasion  for  them  to  commit  the 
same  again.)     Be  like  Christ  —  like  Christ. 

Moral  Sublimity  of  her  Course. 

If  an  individual  rise  out  of  obscurity,  and  gradually  work 
his  way  upward  and  onward,  throwing  off  a  light  that  cannot 
but  arrest  public  attention,  or  sending  out  an  influence  that 
stirs  deeply  the  elements  of  society,  and  if  to  the  end  of  life 
that  individual  holds  on  in  a  brilliant  and  undeviating  path, 
the  beholder  cannot  contemplate  his  course  without  a  feeling 
of  sublimity.  And  especially  if  that  individual  has  advanced 
original  opinions,  which  have  stirred  up  against  him  the 
prejudices  of  the  ultra-conservalive,  but  which,  nevertheless, 
have  ultimately  outlived  all  prejudice,  and  triumphed,  still 
grander  does  his  course  appear.  Yet  more  magnificent  does 
it  become,  if  it  appear  that  pure  benevolence  was  the  con- 
trolling  motive  in  this  person's  heart.  Indeed  it  then  consti- 
tutes true  moral  sublimity. 

Apply  now  these  statements  to  the  case  of  Miss  Lyon. 
From  the  time  when  she  first  began  to  distinguish  herself 
as  a  teacher,  about-thirty  years  ago,  she  seems  to  have  given 
herself  up  to  the  work  of  benevolence  with  an  entireness  and 
whole-heartedness  unusual  with  young  Christians.  Her  vig- 
orous physical  and  intellectual  powers  were  at  once  brought 
wholly  into  the  service  of  God  and  man.  Wherever  she 
went  her  pathway  was  radiant  with  love,  though  she  seemed 


472  THE    VICTORY    GAINED    AND    SECURED. 

unconscious  of  its  brightness.  It  was  interesting  to  see  how 
her  course"  widened  and  ascended  as  she  went  forward.  If 
one  plan  had  to  be  given  up,  another  more  promising  suc- 
ceeded. The  world  thought  her  quixotic,  and  pitied  and 
ridiculed  her  fanaticism.  But  with  her  heart  fixed  on  God 
and  on  doing  good,  she  made  no  reply,  or  returned  only 
blessing  for  reproach.  Her  influence  widened  ;  her  plans 
succeeded  ;  the  world  began  to  applaud,  and  the  wise  con- 
fessed her  superior  discernment  and  wisdom.  'At  her  death 
she  had  opened  a  perennial  fountain  of  influence,  whose 
streams  had  already  reached  the  remotest  nations  of  the 
earth,  and  which,  through  future  generations,  is  destined  to  do 
more  for  the  happiness  of  the  world  than  all  the  acts  of  the 
mightiest  queen  that  ever  ruled.  Surely  the  whole  picture 
impresses  us  forcibly  with  its  moral  sublimity ;  and  we 
might  almost  have  expected  that  the  chariot  and  horses  of 
fire  would  have  been  granted  to  close  a  scene  so  much  like 
an  angel  visit. 

There  were  some  particular  scenes  in  Miss  Lyon's  life, 
from  which,  as  we  now  see  them,  we  get  an  impressive  lesson 
of  moral  grandeur.  One  was  the  time  when  she  closed  her 
connection  with  the  Ipswich  school,  and  went  forth  alone  to 
the  great  work  of  founding  the  new  seminary.  To  accomplish 
such  an  object,  it  would  be  necessary  to  enlist  a  great  many 
hearts  and  hands;  for  some  sixty  thousand  dollars  must  be  pro- 
vided ;  and  this  she  proposed  to  raise  by  an  appeal  to  the  be- 
nevolent principle  only.  She  had  seen  a  seemingly  judicious 
eflJbrt  to  accomplish  almost  the  same  object  fail  in  a  wealthy, 
enlightened,  and  religious  part  of  Massachusetts,  although 
the  object  had  commended  itself  to  the  wise  and  good. 
Moreover,  the  plan  she  now  proposed  contained  some  fea- 
tures which  were  not  approved  by  her  most  judicious  friends. 
Yet  in  silence  almost,  and  single-handed,  she  moved  forward 
to  the  conflict.  Well  do  I  remember  the  first  meeting  which 
shS  called,  of  perhaps  half  a  dozen  or  more  of  the  friends  of 
female  education,  in  the  valley  of  Connecticut  River,  and  which 


HER    FIFTIETH    BIRTH-DAY.  473 

m 

took  place  at  my  house.  Those  friends  saw  the  enterprise 
to  be  a  noble  one  ;  but  how  could  it  ever  be  accomplished  ? 
Such,  I  doubt  not,  was  the  secret  feeling  of  almost  every  one, 
though  not  expressed  to  Miss  Lyon.  To  her  we  pledged 
whatever  of  influence  or  time  we  could  devote  to  the  work. 
But  little  did  we  know  what  Providence  had  in  store  for  her. 
Little  did  we  imagine  that  any  of  us  should  live  to  see 
the  work  accomplished,  and  sixteen  hundred  pupils  go 
forth  from  the  institution  into  every  quarter  of  the  globe. 
True,  it  did  cost  gigantic  efforts  on  Miss  Lyon's  part,  and 
from  those  intimately  associated  with  her  ;  for  it  is  a  law  of 
the  natural  and  moral  government  of  God,  that  great  objects 
demand  great  efforts  for  their  accomplishment.  But  now 
that  we  can  compare  the  magnificent  results  with  the  instru- 
mentality, the  picture  is  certainly  full  of  moral  grandeur. 

Another  scene,  perhaps  equally  grand,  was  the  retrospect 
which  she  took  of  her  life  upon  her  fiftieth  birthday.  Pre- 
viously she  seems  to  have  been  too  busy  to  pause  and  look 
over  the  way  in  which  the  Lord  had  led  her.  But  now  the 
panorama  lay  spread  out  around  her.  Far  off  in  a  quiet 
mountain  spring  could  she  see  the  feeble  beginning  of  her 
course;  but  soon  one  and  another  tributary  could  be 
observed  coming  in,  till  now  the  current  was  moving  deep 
and  strong,  loaded  with  blessings  to  the  whole  human  family. 
Many  hundred  energetic  and  devoted  women  could  she  see 
laboring  for  the  world,  converted  to  God  through  her  instru- 
mentality in  the  numerous  revivals  through  which  she 
passed  ;  and  not  less  than  three  thousand  pupils,  scattered 
through  the  world,  disseminating  every  where  the  noble  sen- 
timents she  had  taught  them  ;  a  mighty  leaven  spreading 
through  the  surface  of  society  to  lift  it  up  to  the  daylight, 
and  fitting  it  to  bring  forth  an  abundant  harvest  to  God's 
glory  and  man's  good.  And  when  she  thought  of  the 
permanent  character  of  her  new  seminary,  she  could  not  but 
see  its  widening  influence  upon  the  world's  noblest  destinies, 
40* 


474  THK    VICTORY    GAINED    AND    S£CUKED. 

down  to  the  time  when  the  earth  shall  be  filled  with  the 
knowledge  of  the  Lord  as  the  waters  fill  the  sea.  Truly  the 
whole  scene  must  have  been  one  of  overwhelming  interest, 
and  well  calculated  to  awaken  pride  in  a  selfish  mind.  But 
in  her  heart  it  only  roused  into  intense  action  a  feeling  of 
gratitude  to  God,  who  had  given  her  such  a  noble  field  of 
labor,  and  crowned  her  efforts  with  so  much  success. 

One  other  scene  of  moral  grandeur  I  must  notice.  The 
chariot  had  come  for  her  removal,  though  she  knew  not  that 
it  stood  by  the  door.  But  she  had  just  been  down  to  the 
banks  of  Jordan  to  see  one  of  her  beloved  pupils  pass  over; 
and  as  she  returned,  she  said  to  those  who  survived,  "  O,  if 
it  were  I,  how  happy  I  should  be  to  go ! "  She  had  been 
called,  yet  there  was  one  more  message  for  her  to  deliver  — 
the  noblest  she  ever  uttered.  Fear  and  anxiety  had  begun 
to  spread  in  the  seminary  lest  a  malignant  and  fatal  disease 
was  among  them.  Under  the  influence  of  an  excitement 
almost  supernatural,  having  just  been  looking,  as  it  were,  into 
heaven,  and  burning  with  a  desire  to  lead  her  pupils  to  trust 
Providence,  and  fear  no  evil,  she  appeared  before  them,  and 
exclaimed,  "  Shall  we  fear  what  God  is  about  to  do.''  There 
is  nothing  in  the  universe  that  I  fear,  but  that  I  shall  not  know 
and  do  all  my  duty." 

These  two  noble  sentiments  embrace  almost  the  sum  and 
substance  of  practical  religion  to  him  who  is  supremely  de- 
voted to  the  will  of  God.  He  believes  that  every  event  of 
life  is  embraced  in  God's  providence,  and,  therefore,  he  need 
never  be  anxious  about  any  of  them,  after  having  committed 
himself  unreservedly  to  the  divine  disposal.  Yet  he  may 
still  fear  that  he  shall  fail  either  in  a  knowledge  of  his  duty, 
or  in  its  performance.  Noble  sentiments  to  constitute  a 
Christian  teacher's  last  instruction  to  her  pupils  !  Appro- 
priate words  for  the  Christian  to  utter  just  as  she  was  entering 
the  portals  of  heaven  !  Worthy  a  place  on  the  marble  that 
hands  down  her  memory  to  posterity  ! 


NEW    PRINCIPLES.  475 

# 
PRINCIPLES    FIRST     ESTABLISHED,*  OR     MORE     FULLY   APPLIED, 
BY    MISS     LYON's     EFFORTS     IN      THE     CAUSE     OF     FEMALE 
EDUCATION. 

1.  Permanence  in  a  Female  Seminary. 

Since  the  funds  for  the  Holyoke  Seminary  were  all  con- 
tributed on  the  benevolent  principle,  they  must  be  entirely 
used  for  the  good  of  the  school,  and  never  for  private  emolu- 
ment. Hence,  if  funds  can  make  any  institution  permanent, 
they  will  do  it  here,  unless  they  are  grossly  neglected  or  per- 
verted. Teachers  and  trustees  may  succeed  one  another 
from  generation  to  generation;  but  there  the  buildings  and 
their  contents  will  stand,  to  be  used  only  for  the  purpose  of 
female  education.  When  Miss  Lyon  founded  the  institution, 
she  was  not  aware  that  any  seminary  was  in  existence,  in  this 
country  or  in  Europe,  that  possessed  any  such  inherent 
principle  of  vitality.  Hence  this  experiment  introduced  a 
new  and  most  important  principle  into  this  department  of 
education.  Since  that  time,  I  believe  the  example  has  been 
followed  in  several  places ;  but  I  have  no  definite  statistics 
on  the  subject.  That  this  feature  promises  much  for  the 
education  of  our  daughters,  no  one  will  doubt.  It  cost  Miss 
Lyon  much,  as  we  have  seen.  Let  her  have  the  credit 
of  first  proving  it  practicable. 

2.    The  successful  Appeal  to  the  Benevolent  Principle  for 
obtaining  Funds. 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  in  the  history  of  this  enterprise, 
that  when  the  selfish  principle  had  been  tried  under  favor- 
able auspices  and  failed,  benevolence  should  have  carried 
the  day.  It  speaks  well,  indeed,  for  the  moral  character 
of  New  England.  But  it  shows  also  how  much  stronger 
in  the  Christian's  heart  is  benevolence  than  selfishness, 
and  how  much  more  certain  one  may  be  of  success  by 
an  appeal  to  the  former  than  the  latter,  if  a  case  can  be 


476  THE    VICTORY    GAINED    AND   SECURED. 

made  out  clearly  demandiil^  benevolent  interposition.  Till 
Miss  Lyon  made  the  effort,  it  was  not  thought  that,  to  found 
schools  for  the  education  of  females  was  a  work  of  conse- 
quence enough  to  be  placed  alongside  of  the  missionary 
enterprise.  But  she  satisfied  the  church  of  its  vast  impor- 
tance, and  thus  struck  a  chord  which  drew  forth  pecuniary 
offerings  from  benevolent  hearts  to  a  greater  amount  than 
selfishness  had  ever  bestowed.  We  trust  that  a  discovery 
so  important  will  furnish  the  key  for  unlocking  treasures  still 
more  abundant,  for  raising  neglected  woman  to  her  true 
intellectual  and  moral  rank. 

3.  Successful  Combination  of  domestic  Labors  with  a  high 
literary  Standard. 
Manual  labor  schools  had  been  in  operation  before  Miss 
Lyon  commenced  her  efforts  ;  that  is,  schools  where  the 
pupil's  labor,  a  part  of  the  day,  for  compensation,  and  thus 
pay  their  tuition  or  board.  But  their  operation  has  been,  for 
the  most  part,  unsatisfactory.  Miss  Lyon  never  had  much 
confidence  in  them,  especially  among  females;  although  her 
plan,  as  we  have  seen,  was  mistaken  for  a  manual  labor 
establishment.  There  was  labor,  indeed,  in  her  plan ;  but 
undertaken  in  the  way  practised  at  the  seminary,  it  does  not 
interfere  with,  nay,  it  probably  promotes,  attention  to  study, 
because  it  aids  the  other  kinds  of  exercise  in  invigorating 
the  physical  system.  In  the  manual  labor  schools  it  has 
been  found  often  that  the  standard  of  scholarship  was 
lowered  by  exhausting  labors.  But  at  the  Holyoke  Semi- 
nary this  evil  is  avoided.  The  plan,  therefore,  is  another 
indication  of  Miss  Lyon's  sagacity  and  accuracy  of  judg- 
ment. Nor  should  it  be  forgotten  that  in  this  matter  she 
went  ahead  of  her  wisest  contemporaries,  and  had  to  ven- 
ture almost  alone  upon  an  experiment  whose  failure  would 
have  been  extremely  mortifying. 


SCHOLAESHIP   AND   PIETY.  477 

4.   Union  of  a  high  Standard  of  Study  with  a  high  Stan- 
dard of  Piety. 

The  grand  complaint  among  Christians  in  respect  to  our 
literary  institutions  is,  that  when  teachers  and  pupils  become 
deeply  interested  in  their  studies,  their  piety  droops,  if  it  do 
not  die  ;  so  that  it  often  becomes  true,  as  Henry  Martyn 
says,  that  "  Christ  is  crucified  between  two  thieves  —  clas- 
sics and  mathematics."  But  no  such  complaint  can  be 
brought  against  the  schools  founded  and  taught  by  Miss 
Grant  and  Miss  Lyon  ;  and  it  is  this  feature  that  has  en- 
deared them  most  to  the  devotedly  pious.  "Diat  the  stan- 
dard of  scholarship  and  of  study  has  always  been  very  high 
in  these  schools,  no  one  acquainted  with  them  can  doubt. 
What  the  standard  of  piety  has  been,  let  the  pages  of  this 
memoir  testify.  It  is  no  boast  to  say  that  it  has  been  higher 
than  that  of  the  scholarship.  Now,  this  result  has  been  ac- 
complished mainly  in  two  ways.  First,  by  making  Christian 
benevolence  the  grand  motive  of  all  intellectual  effort. 
Under  the  influence  of  such  a  motive,  even  severe  study  of 
literature  and  science  becomes  efficient  means  of  growth  in 
grace.  With  such  a  motive  to  stimulate  him,  Jonathan  Ed- 
wards could  make  the  solution  of  a  question  in  metaphysics 
almost  as  powerful  a  means  of  promoting  his  piety  as 
prayer.  • 

How  controlling  the  rehgious  sentiment  was  in  Miss 
Lyon's  system  of  instruction  will  appear  from  the  following 
summary  of  her  "  excellences  as  an  educator,"  as  put  down 
by  Miss  Grant  (now  Mrs.  Banister)  at  my  request.  They 
consisted,  she  says, — 

"  In  her  knowledge  and  love  of  the  character  and  govern- 
ment of  God.  In  her  knowledge  of  the  human  mind  ;  its 
capacities  ;  its  destiny  ;  of  the  effects  of  habits,  and  the  way 
to  form  them  aright ;  of  the  relation  of  the  human  mind  to 
its  Creator  and  to  its  fellow-creatures,  and  of  the  obligations 


478  THE    VICTORY   GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

growing  out  of  those  relations.  In  her  entire  and  cordial 
reception  of  the  Bible  as  a  revelation  of  God  to  man  ;  in 
her  knowledge  and  love  of  this  blessed  book.  In  having  the 
first  and  second  table  of  the  moral  law  written  on  her  heart ; 
in  her  peculiar  facility  in  leading  others  to  an  intellectual 
understanding  of  this  law.  In  her  deep  appreciation  of  the 
gospel  as  opening  a  way  for  the  salvation  of  the  lost ;  her 
living  faith  in  all  its  truths,  especially  in  Him  who  is  the 
truth.  In  her  glowing  benevolence  to  all  for  whom  Christ 
died.  In  her  burning  zeal  to  do  all  in  her  power  towards 
extending  the  knowledge  of  the  Redeemer  to  every  creature. 
In  her  under^nding  and  heartfelt  sense  of  the  necessity  of 
bringing  great  and  unalterable  truths  in  contact  with  the  hu- 
man mind  in  a  way  suited  to  produce  their  legitimate  effects. 
In  a  practical  belief  that  what  ought  to  be  done  can  be  done. 
In  a  deep  sense  that  without  God's  blessing  all  will  be  in 
vain.  In  an  abiding  reliance  on  God,  and  a  cheerful  expec- 
tation of  his  blessing." 

The  second  means  by  which  the  high  standard  of  schol- 
arship was  prevented  from  lowering  the  standard  of  piety 
was  to  make  instruction  in  religion  as  systematic,  as  thor- 
ough, and  as  personal  as  instruction  in  literature  and  sci- 
ence. The  one  subject  was  begun  as  early  as  the  other,  and 
rarely  were  the  two  allowed  to  interfere.  The  preference, 
indeed,  was  always  given  to  religion ;  and  if,  in  any  emer- 
gency, they  came  into  competition,  there  was  no  hesitation 
in  deciding  whether  learning  or  religion  should  have  the 
preference.  At  the  commencement  of  each  session  it  was 
ascertained  who  were  professors  of  religion,  and  who  not ; 
who  indulged  the  Christian  hope,  and  who  not ;  and  the  dif- 
ferent classes  were  put  under  appropriate  instruction.  The 
teachers  of  the  sections  made  themselves  acquainted  by 
kind  personal  intercourse  with  the  spiritual  condition  of  the 
pupils  under  their  instruction,  and  felt  a  peculiar  responsibil- 
ity for  those  under  their  charge.     Interesting  and  peculiar 


MOTIVES    OF    ACTION.  479 

cases  were  reported  at  the  teachers'  prayer  meetings,  and 
specially  commended  to  God. 

Such  systematic  and  thorough  exertions  in  behalf  of  their 
pupils  God,  as  we  might  expect,  was  ready  to  bless ;  as  he 
did,  term  after  term  and  year  after  year  ;  and  as  he  always 
will  do  wherever  teachers  are  equally  faithful.  Let  no  in- 
structors think  strange  if  they  are  not  thus  blessed,  if  they 
neglect  these  most  reasonable  means  of  success.  And  let 
these  ladies  have  the  credit  of  solving  this  most  important 
problem,  how  to  combine  hard  study  and  successful  scholar- 
ship with  warm-hearted  piety. 

LESSONS    TAUGHT    BY    MISS    LYON's    LIFE    AND    LABORS. 

I  can  refer  here  only  to  the  most  prominent  of  these  les- 
sons, such  as  are  taught  most  distinctly. 

1.  Motives  of  Action. 

The  grand  secret  of  Miss  Lyon's  distinguished  suc- 
cess lies  in  the  fact  that  she  so  early  and  so  fully  adopted 
•the  benevolence  of  the  gospel  as  the  grand  controlling 
principle  of  her  life.  This  armed  her  with  a  power  to 
labor  and  suffer  to  an  extent  quite  amazing  to  ordinary 
minds,  governed  by  selfish  principles.  She  felt  certain 
that  she  meant  the  good  of  others,  and,  therefore,  she  knew 
that  God  approved  of  her  conduct.  Hence  disappointments, 
delays,  and  perplexities  could  not  disturb  her  equanimity  or 
damp  her  ardor.  She  knew  nothing  of  the  chagrin  and  ex- 
asperation of  disappointed  ambition,  none  of  the  heartburn- 
ing and  jealousy  of  wounded  pride,  and  none  of  the  despond- 
ency and  irresolution  of  selfishness  thwarted  in  its  plans. 
If  not  successful  at  once,  she  was  sure  that  renewed  effort, 
perhaps  a  little  modified,  would  be  rewarded.  Though  she 
labored  for  man,  she  did  not  look  for  her  reward  from  him, 
but  from  God  ;  and,  therefore,  perverseness  and  ingratitude 


480  THE   VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED, 

only  led  her  into  nearer  communion  with    her  Father  in 
heaven. 

What  an  example  for  our  imitation  !  Most  of  us  try  for 
a  great  many  years,  even  after  hopeful  conversion,  to  mix 
selfishness  and  benevolence  —  principles  as  repellent  as  oil 
and  vi'ater ;  and  the  result  is,  that  we  are  double-minded  and 
vacillating,  inconsistent  and  unhappy.  Afraid  to  leave  our 
cause  and  our  reputation  in  God's  hand,  we  aspire  after 
human  distinction  with  morbid  eagerness,  and  are  unwilling 
to  labor  for  the  good  of  others  unless  the  world  are  looking 
on  and  shouting  approbation.  In  short,  the  leaven  of  selfish- 
ness works  so  powerfully  within,  that  we  have  little  quiet, 
and  because  we  are  striving  to  build  up  two  incompatible 
interests,  we  are  apt  to  fail  of  both.  We  do  not  know  where 
the  difRculty  lies,  and  wonder  why  we  do  not  accomplish 
more,  and  why  we  are  so  unhappy.  Could  we,  like  Miss 
Lyon,  early  open  our  hearts  to  the  full  influence  of  Chris- 
tian benevolence,  we  should  attain  to  at  least  a  portion  of  her 
success  and  happiness. 

2.   Trust  in  Providence  in  the  darkest  Hour. 

Rarely  has  God  put  the  faith  of  his  servants  to  a  severer  test 
than  Miss  Lyon's.  Acting  from  motives  of  whose  purity  she 
was  conscious,  she,  in  conjunction  with  Miss  Grant,  had  la- 
bored for  years  to  give  permanency  to  a  female  seminary.  But 
after  being  tantalized  for  a  long  time  with  every  reasonable 
prospect  of  success,  one  prop  after  another  was  struck  from 
beneath  their  hope,  until  Miss  Lyon,  at  least,  gave  it  up  in 
seeming  despair,  concluding  that  she  should  never  see  a 
permanent  female  institution.  But  though  she  seemed  to 
acquiesce  in  what  appeared  to  be  the  will  of  God,  it  is  ,clear 
that  a  lingering  hope  still  played  around  her  heart,  and  she 
watched  with  intense  interest  the  first  indication  of  an  op- 
portunity to  throw  herself,  body  and  soul,  into  the  work. 
Delay  and  discouragement  had,  in  fact,  served  only  to  inten- 


SPIRIT    OF    REVIVALS.  481 

sify  her  desire,  and  make  her  consecration  to  the  work  more 
entire.  So  strong  was  her  faith  that  it  needed  only  the  faint- 
est ray  of  Ught  to  make  it  all  sunshine  around  her.  To  oth- 
ers she  appeared  to  be  walking  in  darkness,  with  no  star 
of  hope  to  cheer  and  guide  her  steps.  But  she  felt  sure 
that  an  infinite  hand  had  taken  hold  of  hers,  and  was  lead- 
ing her  forward  ;  and,  therefore,  she  could  take  step  after 
step  in  the  dark  with  as  much  confidence  as  if  she  could  see 
before  her  an  iron  pavement.  To  human  sagacity  the  next 
step  might  seem  to  lead  over  a  precipice.  But,  confident 
that  she  was  in  the  path  of  duty,  she  was  equally  sure  that 
God  would  hold  her  up.  And  so  he  did,  at  last,  plant  her 
feet  upon  a  rock. 

What  an  instructive  and  animating  example  of  strong 
faith  have  we  before  us  !  We  see  that  if  we  can  only  be 
sure  that  we  are  in  the  path  of  duty,  we  need  fear  nothing 
else,  but  may  commit  every  thing  to  God,  in  the  certain  con- 
fidence that  the  result  will  be  satisfactory  and  glorious.  It 
is  of  little  consequence  how  deep  is  the  darkness  before  us, 
if  we  can  only  feel  that  our  hold  is  strong  upon  the  divine 
promise.  No  on^  whose  motives  are  not  pure,  and  who  has 
not  a  spirit  of  prayer,  can- have  such  faith.  It  was  the  gift 
of  God  in  Miss  Lyon ;  it  must  be  his  gift  in  others.  May  he 
bestow  it  abundantly  upon  the  churches ! 

3.   The  true  Spirit  of  Revivals  of  ReligiHon  and  the  proper 
Means  of  securing  and  promoting  them. 

The  history  presented  in  this  volume  seems  to  me  pecu- 
liarly instructive  on  this  subject.  During  the  last  thirty 
years,  a  great  deal  has  been  said  about  spurious  revivals  of 
religion,  and  improper  modes  of  conducting  them.  But  I 
doubt  whether  any  of  the  disputants,  who  are  pious  men, 
would  hesitate  to  say  that  the  revivals  in  the  schools  of  Miss 
Lyon  and  her  associates  were  genuine  and  conducted  in  a 
proper  manner.  They  were  brought  about  by  earnest  prayer 
41 


482  THE    VICTORY   GAINED    AND    SECURED. 

and  the  plain  presentation  of  evangelical  truth.  They  were 
noiseless  and  solemn,  and  did  not  interrupt  the  ordinary  pur- 
suits of  the  pupils  or  teachers.  Hence  there  was  little  or  no 
reaction,  and  few  of  those  hopefully  converted  turned  back 
to  the  world. 

Within  a  few  years  past,  there  have  been  long  and  learned 
discussions  in  the  religious  newspapers  on  the  question  why 
the  influences  of  the  Spirit  had  been  so  generally  with- 
drawn from  the  churches.  How  easily  might  they  have 
solved  the  question,  had  they  spent  a  few  weeks  at  the  Buck- 
land,  Ipswich,  Derry,  or  Holyoke  school  !  Soon  after  the 
beginning  of  the  term,  could  they  have  looked  into  Miss 
Lyon's  heart,  they  would  have  seen  there  an  anxious  fear 
lest  the  term  would  pass  without  a  revival  of  religion.  She 
feared,  too,  lest  the  difficulty  lay  in  her  own  heart.  Per- 
haps she  would  leave  the  seminary  for  a  few  days  to  go  into 
some  retreat,  where  she  might  examine  her  heart  and  seek 
help  from  God.  Then,  as  she  returned,  you  would  witness 
a  new  unction  attending  all  her  religious  efforts.  Teachers 
would  catch  the  same  spirit,  and  soon  the  solemn  counte- 
nance and  the  tearful  eye  would  show  thjt  God  had  heard 
prayer,  and  usually  did  the  work  go  on  till  many  a  heart 
was  melted  and  subdued. 

Now,  in  such  a  scene  as  this,  repeated  from  term  to  term, 
might  the  speculating  theologian  and  editor  find  enough  to 
solve  their  doubts  about  the  Spirit's  withdrawal,  and  a  rebuke 
for  their  want  of  fidelity.  Here  they  saw  no  speculative 
wrangling,  but  the  union  of  strong  and  simple  faith  with 
earnest  labor.  The  teachers  first  got  their  own  hearts  ready 
for  a  visitation  of  mercy,  and  then  they  were  prepared  to 
labor  for  the  salvation  of  others.  And  if  like  antecedents 
are  followed  by  like  consequents,  the  same  preparation  and 
fidelity  will  be  followed  by  like  results  in  all  seminaries  of 
learning  as  well  as  in  the  churches. 

Why,  then,  are  not  such  results  witnessed  .-*     May  not  the 


EXAMPLE    OF    CHRISTIAN    CHARACTER.  483 

question  be  answered  by  inquiring  whether  the'  same  ante- 
cedents exist  ?  Is  it  not  a' fact  that,  in  many  of  our  semina- 
ries of  learning  that  glory  in  the  name  of  Christian,  not 
only  week  after  week,  but  term  after  term,  pass  away  before 
the  teachers  take  the  trouble  to  inquire  into  the  spiritual  con- 
dition of  their  pupils  ?  and  often  in  a  four  years'  course 
of  study  does  it  not  happen  that  not  one  word  is  said  to  indi- 
viduals respecting  their  personal  religious  feelings  ?  In 
some  seminaries,  with  numerous  teachers,  should  we  not 
inquire  in  vain  even  for  a  weekly  private  prayer  meeting, 
where  the  spiritual  state  of  the  institution  might  be  learnt 
and  prayed  over  ?  And  yet  you  will  find  teachers  in  such 
schools  wondering  why  revivals  are  few  and  far  between, 
and  quite  unable  to  see  why  Mount  Holyoke  Seminary 
should  be  so  distinguished  by  their  frequency  and  power. 

I  must  think  that  in  Miss  Lyon's  history,  in  connection 
with  revivals,  there  is  valuable  instruction,  even  for  the  pas- 
tors of  our  churches.  Where  can  they  find  a  better  model, 
as  to  means  and  results,  of  such  a  work,  than  was  uniformly 
presented  in  her  schools  ?  Why  should  even  ministers  be 
ashamed  to  learn  wisdom,  on  a  subject  so  important,  from  a 
woman,  especially  from  one  so  eminent  for  wisdom  and 
piety,  and  whose  experience  in  revivals  was  so  extensive  ? 

4.  An  elevated  Example  of  Christian  Character  for 
Imitation. 

Whatever  diversities  of  opinion  there  may  be  as  to  some 
minor  traits  of  Miss  Lyon's  character,  all  will  agree,  I  doubt 
not,  in  regarding  her  piety  as  of  a  very  high  order,  and  wor- 
thy to  be  held  up  as  a  model  for  imitation.  So  deeply  rooted 
was  it  in  the  great  principles  of  the  gospel ;  so  free  from  ex- 
tremes of  every  sort ;  so  gentle,  yet  so  energetic  ;  so  active, 
yet  so  contemplative  ;  so  keenly  alive  to  the  wants  of  those 
near  at  hand,  yet  so  expansive  and  all-embracing,  so  full 
of  good  works,  yet  so  full  of  Christ;  so  weak  in  itself,  vet 


484  THE    VICTORY    GAINED   AND    SECURED. 

SO  Strong  in  the  Lord,  —  in  short,  so  harmonious  and  full  in 
all  its  proportions,  that  every  Christian  husband  and  parent 
would  wish  that,  next  to  Christ,  his  wife  and  daughters  might 
take  her  as  their  model.  And  in  an  age  like  the  present, 
many  of  whose  tendencies  are  adverse  to  elevated  piety,  it 
is  well  to  be  able  to  hold  up  such  a  model.  How  few  of  us, 
who  profess  religion,  do  not  see  our  deficiencies  when  we 
compare  our  motives  and  whole  character  with  hers  !  And 
when  we  think  what  she  was  and  what  she  did,  who  of  us 
does  not  feel  desirous  of  catching  at  least  a  portion  of  her 
falling  mantle .'' 

But  I  hasten  to  a  close ;  and  I  do  it  in  words  which  I  used 
to  terminate  an  address  at  the  first  anniversary  of  the  semi- 
nary after  her  decease. 

"  Such  was  Miss  Lyon  ;  such  the  discipline  through  which 
she  was  made  to  pass  to  fit  her  for  her  work,  and  such  the 
magnificent  results.  We  are  amazed  when  we  look  back  at 
the  amount  and  magnitude  of  her  labors.  Very  few  females 
have  done  so  much  for  the  world  while  they  lived,  or  have 
left  so  rich  a  legacy  when  they  died.  Nor  is  the  fair  picture 
marred  by  dark  stains,  save  those  of  microscopic  littleness. 
From  the  days  of  her  childhood  to  the  time  of  her  death, 
all  her  physical,  intellectual,  and  moral  powers  were  con- 
centrated upon  some  useful  and  noble  object,  while  selfish- 
ness and  self-gratification  seem  never  to  have  stood  at  all  in 
the  way,  or  to  have  retarded  the  fervid  wheels  of  benevo- 
lence. I  cannot,  therefore,  believe  that  it  is  the  partiality 
of  personal  friendship  which  leads  me  to  place  Miss  Lyon 
among  the  most  remarkable  women  of  her  generation.  Her 
history,  too,  shows  the  guiding  hand  of  special  providence 
almost  as  strikingly  as  the  miraculous  history  of  Abraham, 
of  Moses,  of  Elijah,  or  of  Paul.  O,  it  tells  us  all  how 
blessed  it  is  to  trust  Providence  implicitly  when  we  are  try- 
ing to  do  good,  though  the  darkness  be  so  thick  around  us 
that  we  cannot  see  forward  one  hand's  breadth,  and  bids  us 


TAKEN    AT    THE    RIGHT    TIME.  485 

advance  with  as  confident  a  step   as  if  all  were  light  be- 
fore us. 

"  This  picture,  too,  is  a  complete  one.  Her  life  was 
neither  too  long  nor  too  short.  She  died  at  the  right  time, 
with  her  armor  on  and  yet  bright.  But  her  friends  saw  that, 
strong  as  her  constitution  naturally  was,  it  was  giving  way 
under  such  severe  and  protracted  labor,  and  the  infirmities 
of  declining  years  beginning  to  show  themselves,  even  at 
the  age  of  fifty-two.  But  with  her  Savior  she  could  say, 
*I  have  finished  the  work  which  thou'  (God)  '  gavest  me 
to  do.'  All  her  important  plans  had  been  carried  into  suc- 
cessful operation,  and  tested  by  long  experiment ;  and  the 
institution  was  in  the  right  condition  to  be  committed  to  other 
hands.  She  had,  also,  of  late  been  rapidly  ripening  for 
another  sphere  of  labor.  One  of  her  friends,  who  had  been 
more  intimately  connected  with  her  for  several  years  past 
than  any  other,  when  at  a  distance  she  heard  of  her  sick- 
ness, felt  confident  that  it  would  be  unto  death  ;  for  she  had 
known  how,  for  some  months  previous,  her  friend  had  been 
feeding  daily  on  manna,  and  pluming  her  wings  for  her  up- 
ward flight.  Severe,  therefore,  as  her  removal  seemed 
when  first  announced,  it  happened  just  at  the  right  time  ; 
and  I  cannot  wish  to  call  her  back.  But  I  do  feel,  —  and 
many  who  hear  me  I  doubt  not  feel  it  too,  —  I  do  feel  a 
strong  desire  to  be  borne  upward,  on  an  angel's  wing,  to  the 
Mount  Zion  where  she  now  dwells,  and  to  hear  her  describe, 
in  the  glowing  language  of  heaven,  the  wonders  of  Provi- 
dence, as  manifested  in  her  own  earthly  course,  as  they 
now  appear  in  the  bright  transparencies  of  heaven.  Yet 
further,  I  long  to  hear  her  describe  the  still  wider  plans  she 
is  now  devising  and  executing  for  the  good  of  the  universe 
and  the  glory  of  God  ;  and  how  admirably  her  earthly  dis- 
cipline fitted  her  for  a  nobler  field  of  labor  above;  so  that 
those  providences,  which  appear  to  us  to  have  been  consum- 
mated on  earth,  were,  in  fact,  only  a  necessary  means  of 
41* 


486  THE    VICTORY   GAINED    AND    SECUKED. 

adapting  her  to  a  work  which  shall  fill  and  delight  all  her 
powers  throughout  eternal  ages.  Gladly,  too,  would  I  listen 
to  her  intensely  earnest  inquiries  respecting  her  beloved 
seminary  and  friends  on  earth  ;  and  learn  whether,  in  some 
way  unknown  to  us,  she  may  not  be  still  able  to  administer 
to  their  welfare.  O,  how  sweet,  too,  would  it  l)e,  could  we 
listen  to  that  rapturous  song  of  praise  which  ever  and  anon 
she  would  pour  forth  to  her  Redeemer,  as  his  glories  strike 
her  eye,  or  his  past  kindness  touches  a  chord  of  gratitude 
in  her  heart ! 

"  But,  alas  !  how  vain  are  all  such  aspirations  !  And  yet, 
my  Christian  friends,  if  we  are  faithful  to  God  and  duty  as 
she  was,  in  a  very  few  days  all  this  intercourse  and  com- 
munion will  be  a  reality.  Some  of  us  may  not,  indeed,  be 
able  to  sound  so  lofty  a  note  of  praise  as  our  glorified  friend  ; 
but  our  song  and  our  communion  shall  nevertheless  be  the 
music  and  the  intercourse  of  heaven ;  and  that  will  be 
enough." 


VALUABLE  BOOKS. 

PUBLISHED    AND    FOR    SALE    BY 

HOPKII¥!Si;,  BRIDGHAIV,  &  CO., 

Northampton,  Mass. 


THE    POWER    OF    CHRISTIAN    BENEVOLENCE; 

illustrated    in    the    Life    and    Labors    of    Mary    Lyon. 
12mo.   486  pages. 

"  This  piece  of  biography  is  more  precious  than  rubies.  It  is  the 
memoir  of  a  woman  of  extraordinary  mental  power  and  solid  ac- 
quisitions of  learning,  combined  with  the  purest  and  most  active 
piety,  disinterestedness,  benevolence,  self-denial,  and  wisdom."  — 
Northampton  Couriei'. 

"  We  have  devoted  every  leisure  moment  since  the  memoir  was 
handed  to  us  to  its  perusal,  and  it  has  instructed  us  so  much  that  we 
have  laid  it  down  with  great  reluctance  when  compelled  by  business 
to  do  so.  A  treat  of  no  ordinary  character  is  in  store  for  such  as 
possess  themselves  of  this  work,  and  we  affirm  without  hesitation 
that  no  true  New  England  household  ought  to  be  without  it."  — 
Hampshire  Gazette. 

«'  As  Miss  Lyon's  character  was  one  of  the  brightest  and  most  re- 
markable that  adorn  our  age,  or  any  age,  I  shall  confidently  expect 
that  her  biography  will  be  a  volume  of  corresponding  interest  and 
value,  through  which,  though  dead,  she  will  effectually  speak  for 
ages  to  come."  —  Dr.  J,  Perkins,  Ooroomiah. 


"  We  enter  heartily  into  the  spirit  of  the  -work,  sympathizing  in 
the  enthusiastic  love  betrayed  in  every  comment  upon  the  charac- 
ter, labors,  trials,  and  triumphs  of  one  of  the  noblest  of  all  New 
England's  daughters.  That  it  wUl  be  widely  purchased  and  widely 
read  there  is  no  doubt,  and  it  possesses  a  double  value  in  giving  the 
history  of  an  institution  peculiar  and  original  in  its  features,  which 
has  had,  and  is  still  to  have,  an  important  influence  in  shaping  the 
educational  systems  of  the  country."  —  Sprin(ifield  Republican. 


INDEX  RERUM;  or  Index  of  Subjects,  intended  as  a 
Manual  to  aid  the  Student  and  the  Professional  Man  in 
preparing  himself  for  Usefulness.  With  an  Introduction, 
illustrating  its  Utility  and  Method  of  Use.  By  Rev.  John 
Todd.  The  plan  of  this  work  is  very  simple,  and  so 
exceedingly  well  adapted  to  the  purpose  for  which  it  is 
intended  that  it  has  received  the  approbation  of  all  who 
have  examined  it. 

"  It  is  just  the  thing.  I  have  never  had  a  system  so  complete  as 
yours.  I  shall  take  an  early  opportunity  to  speak  to  the  Avhole  body 
of  students  in  regard  to  it,  and  shall  advise  every  man  to  buy  a 
copy."  —  From  Professor  Worcester,  of  Amherst  College. 

"  I  am  happy  to  say  that  the  plan  and  execution  of  the  Index 
Rerum  are  both  such  as  will  fully  meet  my  approbation  ;  and  I 
shall  recommend  it  to  my  pupils  as  a  valuable  auxiliary  to  theii 
studies."  —  From  Professor  Olmsted,  of  Yale  College. 

"  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  the  plan  of  the  Index  Re- 
rum,  by  Mr.  Todd,  is  better  adapted  to  the  object  for  which  it  is 
intended  than  any  other  with  which  I  am  acquainted.  Its  great 
excellence  consists  in  its  simplicity,  and  this  renders  its  advantages 
so  obvious,  that  to  those  who  want  any  thing  of  the  kind  an  inspec- 
tion of  the  work  must  preclude  the  necessity  of  any  recommenda- 
tion. It  will  give  me  pleasure  to  apeak  well  of  it  here."  —  From 
President  M.  Hopkins,  of  Williams  College. 

"I  fully  concur  in  the  favorable  opinion  expressed  of  the  simple 
arrangement  and  utility  of  the  Index  Rerum. 

"GEORGE  BANCROFT." 


"  Of  the  necessity  of  something  of  the  kind  to  hold  fast  the  thou- 
sand important  facts  and  sentiments  which  refuse  to  be  detained  by 
the  slight  associations  of  the  moment,  I  have  been  fully,  painfully 
sensible.  A  few  years  ago,  I  adopted  the  plan  recommended  by 
Locke,  but  soon  relinquished  it,  as  requiring  too  much  time  and 
labor.  I  subsequently  purchased  the  Cambridge  Theological  Com- 
mon Place  Book,  but  here  I  found  myself  embarrassed  by  a  printed 
index  of  subjects  designed  only  for  professional  reading.  And  it  is 
only  in  the  plan  of  t/ie  Rev.  Mr.  Todd's  work  that  I  find  an  arrange- 
me7it  exactly  suited  to  the  wants  of  the  professional  and  literary  man." 
—  From  Professor  M.  P.  Jewett,  of  Marietta  College,  Ohio. 


THE  STUDENT'S  MANUAL;  designed,  by  specific 
Directions,  to  aid  in  forming  and  strengthening  the  intel- 
lectual and  moral  Character  and  Habits  of  the  Student. 
By  Rev.  John  Todd. 

«'  I  thank  you  very  cordially  for  your  Student's  Manual.  I  havo 
not  found  time  yet  to  read  it  through  ;  but  I  have  read  a  number 
of  chapters,  and  highly  approve  of  both  the  design  and  execution. 
It  cannot  fail  to  do  good.  It  will  attract  by  its  manly  independence 
of  tone,  as  well  as  by  the  sparkling  brilliancy  of  its  thoughts. 
Made  virtute!  Persevere  in  your  own  advice,  and  it  cannot  be 
that  you  will  not  reap  a  bountiful  harvest."  —  From  Professor  Stuart, 
to  the  AiUlwr. 

"We  do  not  often  meet  with  a  book  which  contains  a  greater 
amount  of  sound  counsel  and  honest  sense  than  this."  —  Knicker- 
bocker. 

"This  book  is  just  what  the  title  intimates.  It  supplies  a  vacancy 
which  no  other  work  has  filled.  It  discusses  a  great  variety  of  sub- 
jects, and  all  with  ease,  energy,  and  practical  sagacity.  No  student 
should  fail  to  possess  it  and  to  wse  it  as  a  manual.  "We  recommend 
it  to  all  young  men  who  are  concerned  to  cultivate  their  minds  and 
to  be  respectable  and  happy  in  life." —  Recorder,  Philadelphia. 

"  In  our  opinion,  Mr.  Todd  has  thrown  together  some  of  the  best 
practical  lessons  for  students,  or  for  young  men  generally,  that  we 
have  ever  seen  embodied  in  a  single  work."  —  U.  S.  Gazette,  Phila- 
delphia. 


"  We  have  looked  through  this  volume  with  more  than  ordinary 
care,  and  certainly  with  more  than  ordinary  interest.  Every  stu- 
dent has  felt  the  need  of  a  friend,  willing  and  able  to  instruct  him 
on  the  thousand  questions  which  arise  in  relation  to  his  course  of 
studies,  time  of  labor  and  exercise,  his  health,  diet,  discipline  of 
mind,  &c.  It  will  be  found  a  pleasing  volume,  its  lessons  being 
always  conveyed  in  an  easy  and  attractive  style,  and  urged  by  fa- 
miliar historical  or  other  illustrations."  —  Philadelphia  Gazette. 


LECTURES    TO    CHILDREN  ;     familiarly    illustrating 
important  Truth.     By  Rev.  John  Todd. 

"  We  take  peculiar  pleasure  in  recommending  this  little  book  to 
our  youthful  readers  as  an -important  acquisition  to  the  juvenile 
literature  of  our  country.  The  author  has  succeeded  in  adapting 
his  style  to  those  for  whom  he  writes.  His  illustrations  are  so  sim- 
ple, that  we  think  they  cannot  fail  to  bring  his  subjects  down,  or 
rather,  to  carry  them  iq),  to  the  comprehension  of  the  youngest 
reader.  The  stjde  of  this  book  is  somewhat  like  that  of  Abbott's 
works,  yet  abounding  more  in  anecdotical  illustration,  and  evidently 
designed  for  the  youngest  readers.  The  author's  points  are  briefly 
and  simply  stated  ;  his  illustrations  attractive,  beautiful,  and  satis- 
factory." —  New  York  Evangelist. 

"  This  book  is,  in  our  opinion,  written  in  the  right  style,  and  on 
the  right  principles  for  interesting  and  benefiting  children."  — 
Abbott's  Magazine. 

Extract  from  a  Letter.  —  "  In  begging  you  to  express  my  thanks 

to for  the  excellent  Uttle  volume  of  '  Lectures  to  Children,'  I 

cannot  refrain  from  mentioning  the  great  delight,  and  I  hope  edifi- 
cation, with  which  my  daughter,  of  five  years  old,  peruses  them.  I 
have  kept  them  as  a  part  of  her  Sunday  read.ng,  because  they 
opened  such  fine  subjects  of  conversation  for  that  sacred  day.  But 
this  morning  she  comes  to  me,  and  says,  fervently,  '  Mother,  if  I  get 
all  my  lessons  perfectly,  may  I  read  one  of  Mr.  Todd's  sweet  ser- 
mons r '  and  by  her  application  to  her  simple  tasks  in  geography, 
natural  history,  and  writing,  won  the  desired  reward.  Such  a  suf- 
frage from  a  simple-hearted  and  intelligent  little  one  weighs  more, 
In  my  opinion,  than  the  praise  of  practised  critics."  —  From  Mrs. 
Sigowney. 


"  We  very  much  question  wliether  Mr.  Todd  could  have  engaged 
in  any  labor  which  would  better  subserve  the  great  interests  of 
religion  —  the  interests  of  that  blessed  kingdom  which  is  most  dear 
to  every  pious  heart  —  than  by  writing  these  Lectures.  He  has  not 
descended  from  the  high  and  holy  work  of  the  ministry  by  preaching 
to  children  or  writing  for  them,  as  some  may  suppose.  He  is  mag- 
nifying his  office.  When  did  the  Savior  appear  more  divinely 
glorious  than  in  his  exhibitions  of  affectionate  regard  for  little  chil- 
dren ?  "  —  Sabbath  School  Visitoo 

"It  is  a  book  which  every  pastor  and  every  Christian  parent 
should  study,  in  order  to  learn  how  to  adapt  instruction  on  the  most 
important  Christian  doctrines  to  the  capacities  of  a  child."  —  Boston 
Recorder. 


THE    YOUNG    MAN;    Hints   addressed   to   the   Young 
Men  of  the  United  States.     By  Rev.  John  Todd. 

"  Among  alM^e  good  books  for  young  men  which  the  present  age 
has  produced,  we  know  of  none  better  adapted  than  this  to  elevate 
their  character  and  destiny."  —  From  Rev.  Dr.  Sprague,  of  Albany. 

"  To  say  that  this  book  will  bear  recommending  is  saying  nothing 
at  all.  It  will  bear  reading,  and  that  the  fiftieth  ;time.  It  will  bear 
analysis  and  criticism  more  rigid  than  we  have  time  to  apply  to  it." 
—  Boston  Recorder. 

"  This  18mo.  of  355  pages  we  wish  could  be  placed  in  the  hands 
of  every  young  man  in  our  country."  —  Philadelphia  Gazette. 

"  It  discusses  in  an  able,  earnest,  and  affectionate  manner  the 
subject  of  character,  and  its  value  and  foundation  ;  of  the  tempta- 
tions of  young  men,  their  habits,  industry  and  economy,  cultivation 
of  the  mind,  self-government  and  religious  views ;  and  also  the 
great  end  of  living.  This  work  contains  continuous  counsel,  and 
will  be  found  a  precious  friend  to  those  young  men  who  consult  its 
pages  and  heed  its  suggestions."  —  Bangor  (Me.)  Whig  and  Courier. 

"  The  works  of  no  author  at  the  present  day  are  perused  with 
more  interest  than  those  which  emanate  from  the  erudite  mind  of 
Mr.  Todd."  —  Northampton  Courier. 


TRUTH  MADE  SIMPLE ;  being  a  System  of  Theology 
for  Children.     By  Rev.  John  Todd,   18mo.  424  pages. 

*'  This  Tolume  contains  eleven  lectures  on  tlie  attributes  of  God. 
An  address  to  mothers  is  prefixed,  which  is  fitted  to  produce  a  deep 
impression.  We  commend  this  little  volume  to  parents  as  one 
'  which  is  so  plain  that  children  can  understand  it,  so  pretty  that 
they  will  read  it,  and  so  good  that  it  will  make  them  good.'  "  — 
Philadelphia  North  American. 

"The  author  has  succeeded  admirably,  not  only  in  making  truth 
simple,  but  exceeding  beautiful,  even  to  the  comprehension  of  a 
child."  —  New  York  Commercial  Advertiser. 

"  All  parents  and  Sunday  school  teachers  should  read  this  work. 
Children  of  every  age  will  be  fascinated  by  it."  —  Philadelphia 
Episcopal  Recorder. 

"  "We  know  not  where  to  begin  or  where  to  end  in  commending 
this  work  to  the  notice  of  parents.  From  the  interest  manifested 
by  children  to  hear  more,  when  we  have  read  extracts  from  the 
work,  either  at  our  quarterly  meetings  or  on  the  Sabbath,  we  are 
led  to  infer  that  this  is  one  of  those  rare  productions  which  children 
will  love  to  hear  read  again  and  again,  which,  whil<J|£  engages  the 
attention,  cannot  fail  to  enlighten  the  understanding  and  favorably 
impress  the  heart  and  conscience."  —  Mothers'  Magazine. 


THE  SHORTER  CATECHISM  ILLUSTRATED.  By 
Rev.  John  Todd,  With  Engravings.  Vol.  I.  18mo.  246 
pages. 

"  It  is  entirely  new  in  its  design,  and,  like  all  the  author's  works, 
peculiar  in  its  execution.  The  design  of  this  work,  as  expressed  by 
the  author,  is,  '  to  aid  parents  to  instruct  their  children  in  the  great 
truths  of  religion.'  "  —  Philadelphia  North  American  Gazette. 

"This  work  will  be  sought  after  by  almost  every  Christian  family, 
and  we  doubt  not,  in  the  hands  of  Providence,  be  the  means  of 
much  good."  — .Pittsjield  Eagle. 

"  This  is  one  of  the  very  best  little  books  for  children,  we  have  yet 
seen."  —  New  Haven  Morning  Journal. 


THE   SHORTER  CATECHISM  ILLUSTRATED.     By 
Rev.  John  Todd,  D.  D.     Vol.  II.     293  pages. 

"  This  work  is  designed  to  explain  and  enforce  the  truths  of 
Scripture  in  that  familiar  and  attractive  style  for  which  the  author 
is  so  justly  celebrated."  —  Boston  Daily  Traveller. 

"A  unique  work,  evincing  no  ordinary  power  of  invention,  and 
an  unrivalled  fertUity  of  illustration."  —  iV.  Y.  Tribune. 

"  We  never  read  a  clearer  and  more  satisfactory  exposition  of 
•fixed  fate,  freewill,  foreknowledge  absolute,'  and  other  as  dark 
and  mysterious  theories,  than  in  these  simple,  unpretending  sto- 
ries." —  Weekly  Eagle,  Brattleboro'. 


THE  MORAL  INFLUENCE,  DANGERS,  AND  DU- 
TIES  CONNECTED  WITH  GREAT  CITIES.  By 
Rev.  John  Todd. 

"  A  most  important  object  is  treated  in  this  little  volume.  We 
would  that  it  were  in  the  hands  of  every  young  man  exposed,  or 
about  to  be  exposed,  to  the  thousand  temptations  of  our  large 
towns.  Its  hints  are  also  valuable  to  parents  and  guardians  who 
send  their  children  into  the  midst  of  danger,  where  so  many  miser- 
ably perish."  —  New  York  Observer. 

"  A  work  replete  with  important  truth  and  valuable  instruction." 
—  Christian  Observer,  Philadelphia. 

"  It  is  written  in  a  style  of  simplicity  and  force,  and  should  be 
placed  in  the  hands  of  every  young  man  about  to  take  up  his 
residence  in  a  '  great  city.'  "  —  Boston  Mercantile  Journal. 


GOULD'S  ADAMS'S  LATIN   GRAMMAR.  —  A^eto  edi- 
tion — fine  paper. 


TODD'S  WORKS. —  The  Student's  Manual.  12mo. 
pp.  392.  Truth  Made  Simple.-  The  Young  Man.  The 
Lost  Sister  of  Wyoming.  Stories  on  the  Shorter  Cat- 
echism. 

'•  The  author  of  these  works  is  much  known  in  this  country  and 
Europe  as  a  man  of  great  ability  and  distinguished  success  as  a 
Ariter.  There  is  a  peculiar  attraction  about  his  style,  a  force  and 
rividness  in  his  sentiments  and  illustrations,  which  cannot  fail  to 
make  them  popular,  and,  by  their  high  character  and  design,  and 
the  necessity  which  calls  them  forth  in  the  midst  of  most  urgent 
professional  duties,  they  do  equal  honor  to  the  author's  head  and 
heart."  —  Boston  American  Traveller. 


HISTORY  OF  A  ZOOLOGICAL  TEMPERANCE  CON- 
VENTION  HELD  IN  CENTRAL  AFRICA.  By 
Edward  Hitchcock,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  President  of  Am- 
herst College.     Beautifully  illustrated. 

"  Dr.  Hitchcock  has  succeeded  in  a  preeminent  degree  in  com- 
bining instruction  and  amusement,  so  that  the  man  of  science  may 
be  edified ;  while  it  is  adapted  to  the  understanding  of  the  common 
reader,  and  will  prove  a  most  attractive  volume  to  all  classes."  — 
Star  of  Temperance,  Rochester- 

"  It  is  an  admirable  jeu  d' esprit,  and  will  be  read  with  delight  by 
the  whole  of  that  immense  class  who  love  temperance  and  fun."  — 
Puritan  Recorder. 

"  A  charming  and  instructive  fable,  and  one  that  will  implant 
good  seed  in  many  a  youthful  mind."  —  Philadelphia  Paper. 

"  A  very  successful  attempt  to  inculcate  the  principles  of  total 
abstinence  by  means  of  allegorical  illustrations."  —  Burritt's  Chris- 
tian Citizen. 

"  President  Hitchcock  has  in  this  report  offered  one  of  the  most 
entertaining  works  of  the  day.  The  wit  is  of  the  sharpest  point  — 
the  satire  penetrating  as  a  blade.  Many  a  generous  laugh  will  be 
liad  over  the  irresistible  pungency  and  satirical  truth  of  this  littla 
volume."  —  N.  E.  Washinytonian. 


41' 

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